Ghost Trainer
by Demeristraz
Summary: All Atticus ever wanted was a quiet life. Sadly for him he can see ghosts, and one particular ghost won't leave him alone. As the bridge between the realm of the living and the dead, Atticus must play proxy to his childhood friend and go on a Pokemon journey. Things only get more complicated from there. Rated M for violence, death and mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

"Atticus? Atticus, come down here please!" A gentle voice called from down stairs, urging the boy away from his studies. Even at the age of five he was already a strong reader, and would often spend entire days with his nose buried in books. Placing his latest one down next to the others, with an old ribbon to mark his page, he wandered down to see what his mother wanted.

"Ah, there you are, reading again?" His mother asked. She was a kind lady, always speaking softly and treating everything with a gentle hand. He shared his light brown hair color with her, although his pale complexion ran in his father's side of the family. Seeing the young boy nod once she smiled, and tousled his hair affectionately. "Auntie Linda is coming over, she's bringing your cousin as well."

Atticus smiled, he'd grown up alongside his 'cousin' for most of his life. Their parents were friends, close enough that they considered themselves sisters. While he wasn't technically related to Emily, their daughter, he was expected to treat her like family. They quickly became best friends, and in Atticus's case, his only friend.

They didn't get along perfectly of course. Even at a young age Atticus was fond of books, reading through sections of their family's old library at a time. He adored myths and legends, and any stories dealing with the supernatural, often reading them to Emily at night when the two were supposed to be sleeping. His goal in life was to one day take over for his father, tending to their villages famous shrine.

Emily was more into Pokemon, and loved hearing and learning all she could from trainers that passed through the town. They didn't have a nearby professor, living in the hills in Northeastern Unova, but the occasional wild Pokemon would wander through their yards, and she would always drag Atticus to observe it. Even at such a young age she would go on and on about one day going on a Pokemon journey.

Smiling he returned to his room to grab an interesting book from the pile on his desk. It was old and dusty, but had plenty of pictures of Pokemon, and it was certain to impress his friend. "Atticus!" A much younger voice called up from downstairs, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps. "Atticus guess what?" A girl his age, with long blonde hair, called rushing into his room and belly flopping onto his bed giggling. "I saw a Vulpix in the yard today!"

"That's really cool! Did you catch it?" Atticus asked, joining in her excitement and climbing onto the bed with her.

"Nuh uh, Mum said I'm too young to have a Pokemon, and it was wild. I didn't even get to feed it like Miss Autumn's Chimecho." She pouted, rolling over onto her back. "But it would make a great first Pokemon don't you think?"

Atticus laughed along with her as she described her latest idea for becoming a Pokemon master. They talked and laughed until bedtime, when they fell asleep beside one another. Their parents both found the scene adorable, and merely tucked them into bed.

O~O~O~O~O

Years passed, and the two entered the local school. It wasn't much, there was only class for each year up to grade 8 and there were still only eighteen students per grade on average. Passed grade eight they'd have to travel to a nearby town to attend school, there was only one teacher in their village.

Over the years his relationship with Emily had changed. They were still close, but in public they fell into different social circles, or at least she did. She was popular, always cheery, kind, smart and beautiful. He was quiet and reserved, finding more comfort in isolation with a good book. During recess she would have crowds of children around her to play with, while he would sit under the same old tree, reading away his free time.

In private they still hung out, still confided in each other and had their regular sleepovers. She shared with him all of her ideas for possible Pokemon teams in the future, and travel plans she drew up that would take her all across several continents. His heart would lurch when she spoke of crossing deserts or climbing mountains, his overactive imagination would show him images of her meeting terrible ends. Somewhere along the way he'd become protective of her, watching over her like a big brother, always from a distance. He would smile when she was happy, and ache whenever she wasn't.

"Don't you see it?" Atticus asked, whispering to Emily in class when the teacher wasn't looking.

"I don't see anything, there's no Pokemon in the classroom." Emily frowned, causing Atticus to once more point at one of the corners.

"It's right up there, how can you not see it?" He asked again. It was clear as day to him, a small black orb in a cloud of purple mist, looking down over the class with big white eyes. "It's a Ghastly, I'm sure of it."

"There's nothing up here, stop trying to scare me." Emily whispered, returning to her assignment.

"I'm not trying to scare you, it's not even doing anything. It's just watching us work." The young boy whispered back, getting a stern look from their teacher. Emily refused to reply.

That night he told his father about what he had seen, and he was brought out to the shrine. "There has long been a history of Mediums in our family. People gifted with the ability to see spirits, even when they didn't want to be seen. It was once part of our duties as shrine guardians to help spirits find the rest they desire."

"You mean like Ghost-type Pokemon?" Atticus asked.

"Not quite. Ghost-type Pokemon are not really dead. They live and reproduce just like other Pokemon, and will eventually die of old age. What makes them unique is they exist partly within the realm of the living, and partly across the veil to the afterlife. This is where all of their power comes from." His father explained, patting a few old looking tomes next to where he sat. "When a person dies with great regret in their heart, sometimes they will not cross the veil right away. Then it becomes the duty of a Medium to help them cross over."

"I'm not sure I really get it." Atticus said, looking puzzled.

"That's quite alright, you'll have plenty of time to learn. Your uncle was the last in our family with the gift, and he left quite a number of journals behind for you to read. There's a lot about Ghost-type Pokemon as well, if you're interested." His father said, rising from his chair to return to the house.

O~O~O~O~O

Emily eventually resumed speaking to him, and after quite some time began believing him when he said he could see ghosts. Their friendship continued on through school, until at last graduation had come. Atticus stood out in front of the school under an umbrella, waiting for Emily to join him. It was their last day of classes, his final tests were done, after this he'd be able to devote his full time to studying for his duties.

His thoughts were interrupted by two cold hands reaching out to cover his eyes. "Guess who?" A familiar voice chimed musically.

"Hello Emily, how were the tests?" Atticus replied, unsurprised by the antics.

"Boo, you're always so dull and lifeless. If I wasn't here to lighten you up, people would think you're already dead." Emily complained, moving her hands to embrace him from behind, hiding under the protection of his umbrella. It always rained in their village, the price of living on a coastal mountain range. The trees were all evergreen, the only ones able to thrive in the thin layers of dirt, and every where they looked the spongy green of moss clung to every surface. Today it was drizzling, which made it 'nice weather' to the locals.

"Those tests suck. Why do I need to know about history or math, they should teach battle strategies and move tutoring techniques instead, those are way more useful." Emily continued to whine as the two walked into town, following the large gutters carved into the sides of the road. "Or survival tactics, or camping techniques, stuff that is really important."

"Not all of us are going to be trainers Emily." Atticus replied with a small sigh. They'd discussed it millions of times, but he still refused to put his duty to his family on hold to hike around the country.

"I still wish you'd reconsider, it'd be a lot more fun with you there next to me."

"Really?" This was the first time Atticus could recall her speaking of any insecurities at all.

"Well... yeah... I mean you've always been there for me. You're the most reliable person I know. It'll be weird not having to keep your chin up all the time." The blonde girl shrugged, pulling ahead a few feet so he couldn't see her face.

"Come on, you've been dreaming of this for years now, your whole life has been Pokemon since you were old enough to point them out. I dimly recall your first word being 'Pidove'." Atticus joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Not all of us were reading before we could walk." Emily grumbled, looking away to hide her embarrassment.

"Not all of us were catching dangerous Pokemon with our bare hands before we could speak." Atticus countered, grinning at his success. "I remember your parents got you all dressed up in that beautiful Kimono for the shrine festival when you were four. You ran off into the bushes and came back dragging a Shuckle and covered in dirt. I think you wanted to start your journey right then and there."

The two both broke into laughter at the memory, the heavy mood form earlier vanishing. Emily skipped ahead a few feet to splash through some puddles. "I'm thinking of starting with the Water-type. That way, if I get homesick I can make it use rain dance."

"Your travel partners will love you." Atticus quipped, smiling at her antics.

"Speaking of, Zach spoke to me today." The blonde girl said, spinning around to look at his reaction.

"That obnoxious rich boy? What did he want?" Zach was a kid their age from school. He'd moved to their small village a few years ago, when his family opened up a superstore on their main street. Since then he'd been strutting around like he was better than anyone in their 'hick town'. Despite that, most girls still saw him as a heart-throb.

"He wanted me to meet him tonight on the old bridge." She shrugged, pretending it was no big deal.

Atticus scowled, "You mean _the_ old bridge? The one where if two people confess their love for each other their souls will forever be entwined? The bridge that has been the most popular make-out location for the village for the past fifty years?"

"Relax, sheesh. You and your superstitions. Yes, he asked me to meet him on the bridge, no I don't think it's going to be romantic." Emily turned around, and began kicking puddles once again. "He probably just wants to ask me to travel with him. Which would be nice, I guess, having someone I know to travel with. You don't need to get jealous."

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, the young medium hid a scowl. Over the years his 'protective streak' had become a bit more romantic in nature. He never pushed things, unwilling to risk ruining everything on an impulse. "I don't think you should go. To the bridge I mean. You need to be up early tomorrow don't you? What if he's just doing this as a joke, to make you miss the bus?"

"Just relax, I'm going to show up at the right time, and wait like ten minutes. If he doesn't show it's his loss." They had reached her home now, and both paused on her porch. "I'm certain you won't be up early enough to see me off so... This is goodbye."

"Yeah... I guess it is." Atticus said, pausing nervously. He really didn't want to say goodbye, not having her around would be a major change.

"I'll call you all the time of course, to brighten your gloomy day with awesome stories of my journey. The one you aren't joining me on. Which I'll remind you of constantly." Emily joked, smiling up at him.

"You have reminded me every day for the past... 13 or so years. I'm still not going. You'll be fine on your own, and be champion within the year. I guarantee it." Atticus replied, sharing her grin. He was shocked when she suddenly shot forward, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug. They hadn't done this in a while, their level of physical contact had dropped steadily over the years.

The embrace held for several moments, longer than simple friends would be comfortable with, but neither seemed to mind. Eventually Emily drew back slightly, moving her head in front of his, her eyes closed and nose along side of his. Sighing slightly Atticus pushed forward, pressing his forehead against hers like they had in their childhood to check for fevers.

Her eyes fluttered open, glimmering blue meeting soft brown. For a moment raw emotion seemed to flow between them, saying millions of hidden thoughts and secrets. "I will miss you." She whispered, sweet breath washing over him.

"Every day?" Atticus asked with a small grin.

"Every day." She agreed, closing her eyes again.

"I'll see you in the morning, to send you off." The young medium said, giving her a last squeeze.

"You'd better be there, I want a kiss goodbye." She said, turning and entering her house before he could reply.

O~O~O~O~O

The storm grew worse as the evening progressed, becoming a downpour that darkened the sky. Atticus distracted himself by pouring over one of his Uncle's old journals, this one on helping spirits cross over. According to the book there were several ways to do it, including 'sending rituals' for benign spirits, or exorcisms for violent ones. Both of these would push the spirit across the veil into a sort of limbo, the in-between that several Ghost-type Pokemon drew their power from. Once within the void they were harmless, and when the world had forgotten about them they'd finally pass on and find peace.

The best way, according to his uncle's research, was to help a spirit cross over naturally by settling whatever unfinished business kept them bound to the realm of the living. This was often the fastest way, and lead to the least amount of suffering for the ghost.

A crack of thunder distracted him from his readings, and he rose to look outside. "She wouldn't be stupid enough to go out in this would she?" He asked out loud, staring out into the inky darkness and pouring rain. It came down in sheets, blowing the branches of trees in the yard about violently. Another flash of lightning illuminated the yard, revealing an Absol that sat staring up at his window.

Atticus's blood ran cold, remembering all of the folktales about that particular Pokemon, and how it predicted disaster. Another jagged bolt of lightning fell from the sky, once more revealing the Pokemon, that remained staring directly at him. Reaching for the phone he dialed the familiar number, impatiently pacing as it rang.

"Hello?" A familiar voice said from over the line, amidst a burst of static. The storm must be affecting the phone lines.

"Auntie Linda? It's Atticus, is Emily there?" He asked, tension obvious in his voice.

"Of course dear, she's upstairs, probably packing for her trip. Let me just go get her."

Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, Atticus let himself flop down onto his bed.

"Emily? Emily are you in here? Oh dear, she isn't here... You don't suppose she went out in this do you? Hello?" The phone clattered to the floor. The young medium was already out the door, not even stopping for his raincoat as he darted into the night, following the well-worn path to the bridge.

He slipped several times, forced to slow down around sharp corners, until he finally reached the river. It was swollen form the rain, and overflowing with fast moving water, and the bridge was no longer there.

"Emily!" He yelled, voice cracking as he felt his heart leap into his throat. "Emily where are you?" Warm tears fell down his face, mixing with the rain that sapped every ounce of heat from his body.

"Atticus." Came a soft voice from behind him.

Startled he whipped around, eyes lighting up as he gazed upon his childhood friend. His dread returned as he realized she was floating about a foot off the air.

_ Atticus... I think... I think I'm dead._

O~O~O~O~O

The young medium sat in the police office, wrapped in a grey wool blanket and clutching a cup of hot chocolate. Around him several adults made themselves busy, organizing search and rescue teams to find his missing friend.

_This is pointless. You know it's too late, and you know who's responsible. _It had quickly become obvious that only he could see and hear the girl. The police had arrived shortly after he had, and quickly brought him back to the station. He'd remained silent, and his parents arrived shortly afterwards to talk to the police.

"Why were you even out there? What could possibly have made you go out in that storm?" He whispered, keeping his head looking down.

_It's not like I knew the bridge would collapse. It's survived years of rain._

"But why? What could he have that would make you go out to see him in that kind of weather?" He sighed, the part of him that was slowly getting over the shock was furious.

_ I just wanted to see what he'd say. Nobody likes going on a Pokemon journey alone._

"I suppose you're staying for your funeral then." He said solemnly, hands trembling slightly against the cup of hot cocoa.

_Where else would I go?_

"The afterlife? Where all dead people are supposed to go?" Atticus said, sitting up straighter to look at her. She was floating a few feet away, wearing the clothing she had prepared for her trip. High socks and hiking shoes, with a pair of Capri pants and a long sleeved shirt. The entire ensemble was dripping wet, as well as her hair, and would likely remain so. Her fingers and lips seemed almost blue.

_No way! You can't just send me away like that! I'd never see you again!_

"Think of it as a different sort of journey. You can't remain in the land of the living, it isn't natural. This is hard for me too you know." Atticus said, unwilling to look the girl in the eye.

_The only reason I even consider going on that trip was because I'd be able to call you every day. You're my closest friend, you always have been. I couldn't imagine not being in your life._

Her voice cracked, and even though she couldn't cry, it was obvious she was trying to. "You know I care about you just the same. You're a huge part of my life."

_Let me stay then. Someone has to keep your chin up._

"It goes against all of my training. But I absolutely refuse to send you away if you're unwilling to leave." Atticus said, leaning back against his seat. Emily followed, floating down to pretend to sit next to him. It was amusing to watch, as she fidgeted so that she wasn't sticking halfway through any object.

O~O~O~O~O

A month had passed, and with it, Emily's funeral. The spirit still refused to pass on, instead hanging around Atticus, preventing the boy from grieving. They'd fallen into some semblance of a routine, although her presence still garnered him odd looks from much of the village.

_WAAAAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUUUUP!_

Atticus shot out of bed with a start, looking around the room in blind panic. "What, what is it?" A soft melodic giggle sounded to his left, where Emily lay in mid air, head cradled in her arms.

_It's 8am, time go get up._

"It's the weekend. Give me a break." He grumbled, laying back down on the bed.

_But I'm boooooooooooored. I don't sleep anymore, remember? And I can't even touch anything to entertain myself. I spent all night floating around the village._

_ "_I'll leave the TV on for you or something then." He muttered, getting up and walking over to the bathroom. "No peaking."

_Oh please, just because I can pass through walls, doesn't mean I suddenly want to see you naked. We used to take baths together all the time remember?_

"Things change. I'll be out in a bit, and we can decide what to do today."

Morning routine completed he went downstairs to join his family for breakfast. The atmosphere had been subdued since Emily's death, and her funeral had only been bearable because of her phasing her hand into his. As he sat eating, Emily hovered behind his father, reading the paper over his shoulder.

_Man, he reads slow. And he skips over the tournament results. Can you change the TV to channel 42?_

Seeing neither of his parents were interested in the news, he grabbed the remote and flipped the channel over.

"I didn't know you were interested in competitive training." His mother commented, but he merely shrugged in response, looking on in feigned interest as a trainer in flashy clothing swept the final round of a tournament.

"Ladies and gentlemen you just saw it here, Adrian Montague has just won the Hearthome Grand Prix. This is truly the trainer to watch these days, winning five tournaments in the past year alone. Let's see what he has to day!" An announcer stood in front of the field, waiting as Adrian ignored his tired Pokemon and collected his trophy.

"I stand before you today not as a Trainer of Pokemon. I stand here, upon the stage reserved for victors, as a Master of Pokemon. If you want to know how to become strong, there is only one thing you must know. Pokemon. Are. Animals! They are beneath humans, they are there to be dominated, not to be treated as friends. Strength comes from purity! This world is full of the impure, the contaminated, the corrupt. Purity is power, Master your Pokemon, they are your tools, not the other way around." The speech ended to mixed reactions from the crowd. Disturbingly enough, many of the audience applauded wildly as he left the stage.

"Well, controversial views or not, you can't really argue with results." The announcer said, and the TV cut to commercial.

"What a bunch of junk. Damn Purists are spreading like the plague." Atticus' father muttered, turning the page of his newspaper.

_Purists?_

Atticus repeated the question. "Started out as some crackpot religious movement against trainers who'd get 'inappropriate' with their Pokemon. Eventually they got it in their heads that any sort of human with special abilities must be the result of someone in their family hooking up with a Pokemon. They'd go after someone like you in a heartbeat, if they knew you were a Medium, but they also go after Psychics, Aura Adepts, anyone they don't see as 'normal'." His father replied, growing more and more upset as he went. "I've had a few threatening letters come from the crazies, demanding I close down the shrine because 'Pure' people shouldn't worship Pokemon."

O~O~O~O~O

Atticus stepped out into the light rain, followed shortly by his deceased friend. "That's just messed up. I can't believe there's people out there that buy that sort of thing... Emily?" He turned around, glancing around for the spirit. Looking up he spotted her near the roof, locked in a staring contest with a Shuppet. "Huh, they must be attracted by the emotions around here. I'll admit, I hold a grudge against Zach for what he did, accident or not. I can't believe they let him just walk away."

_It can see me... and I can see it. This is so cool. Look, he can understand me too._ She giggled, floating around in a circle as the little Ghost-type followed her.

"Yeah, that's cool I guess. I've seen them around here a lot lately. There's plenty of Ghost-types in Unova." He said, walking closer.

_I could still be a trainer._ She whispered, floating down to fix Atticus with a fierce gaze. _I could train ghost types, they can still listen to me. It'd be difficult, but there's enough of a type variation to make a somewhat balanced team._

"Uh, not to burst your bubble, but nobody but me can see you, and you can't touch anything." Atticus said, trying to placate the girl.

_Don't you get it? I can be a trainer! I can fulfill my dream, the dream I've had for as long as I can remember! I can go on a journey, catch Pokemon, win tournaments. Kick Zach's ass! I'll just be a Ghost trainer._

"A Ghost trainer?" Atticus asked, not quite following.

_You carry the gear, you talk to the other trainers, you play proxy for me. But I'll train the Pokemon, and direct them in battle. I'll do all the 'training', you just have to come with me on the journey._

"I can help you fulfill your dream..." Atticus repeated, gazing off into the distance. "I'm not sure I can do it..."

_You can! I know you can! Please, this will work! We'll start with Shuppet, we'll travel the world catching Ghost-types. We'll go together, the way we should have gone from the beginning. We can do this..._

"I'll... I'll talk to my parents." Atticus relented. This was what Emily needed. He couldn't just let her haunt him to the end of his days, she deserved to fulfill her dreams and find peace. It was the least he could do for his closest friend. "You're right though. We should have done this together from the start. Taking over as a Shrine Guardian can wait."

O~O~O~O~O

"You want to do what?" His father asked, his voice surprised but not angry.

"I want to go on a Pokemon journey. It was Emily's dream to become a champion. I owe it to her to at least try. I'll return, eventually, to take up my duties of course. I just... I need to do this." He sighed, looking down at the table. Emily hovered by his side, looking anxious.

"I understand." His mother spoke up, surprising everyone. "I know how hard this must be for you. I know how... I know how you felt about her."

_How you felt for me?_

"I think you should go. This can distract you from things, and maybe you can find closure. It's always hard, losing your first love. Especially like this."

_Love!_ If the ghost could blush she would, floating a little higher off the ground instead.

Atticus cleared his throat, fighting down a sudden rush of heat to his face. "I... She left me her old gear, including her Pokedex and Pokeballs. I figure I'll catch one of the Shuppet loitering around the house, and then hoof it down the mountain to the path."

His parents shared a look, and then nodded. "Alright then, you'll set out in the morning?" Getting a nod of agreement, Atticus rose and went to pack.

O~O~O~O~O

That night he lay in bed, unable to fall asleep, instead listening to the radio as it played over the pitter-patter of rain. Emily floated around the room, perusing her old maps and notes, trying to plan their trip. Since she couldn't move any of the papers herself, they were scattered around the room, so that they could all be seen simultaneously.

_Was your mother right?_

"Hmm?" Atticus asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

_Did you... Did you really feel that way... about me?_

Atticus remained silent for a few moments. "Does it matter?"

_Of course it matters..._

"It's too late to think that way now. We should just focus on the trip." He said, rolling over to face out the window.

_You're such an idiot... you couldn't tell me before I died?_

"I know, I know. If I'd said something, maybe you'd still be alive. If I'd agreed to come on your journey... you might still be alive... You think I haven't been thinking that this entire time?" He asked, fighting back tears.

_What's done is done. We'll make the best of this. I'll find a way to make you smile again. _A small voice whispered right into his ear. He can feel her presence, cool and damp, pressed up against his back, wrapping him in a cold but soothing embrace. _We'll find our happiness, together._


	2. Chapter 2

_Do we have the camping supplies? A sleeping bag and tent? Pokegear, Pokeballs and Pokedex? Don't forget to bring all of my notes, they could come in handy._

"Relax! I've got everything, you watched me pack remember? Just calm down." Atticus muttered, adjusting the large backpack over his shoulder. It felt odd, wearing all of the trainer gear, as if he was trying to be somebody else.

_I know, it's just... I want everything to go perfectly. I can only train Ghost-types, so we'll have to work extra hard and all... It's so weird, leaving home._

Taking a deep breath, Atticus took his first step out of the village. A long winding dirt road lead down the mountain, all the way to the costal Route 14 of Unova. That would be the first step to their journey. Emily floated along beside him, accompanied by her Shuppet. They had both decided, that since the Ghost-types were usually invisible, they wouldn't keep them in Pokeballs.

_The strength of a Ghost determines how long it can manifest into the physical world, and how much of a beating it can take before being forced back out. The rules say that once a Ghost-type fades out it counts as 'fainting'. That's because a former champion had this 'unbeatable Haunter' that was actually several Haunters at once. When one would get hurt, it would disappear, and another would take its place. When a Medium caught on to what he was doing, the rule was made to prevent this._

"But don't ghosts go invisible during battles all the time?" The Medium asked. He'd never really paid much attention to league rules.

_There's a difference. Even when a ghost is manifested but invisible, there are other ways to detect where it is, and hurt it. When it fades out, only a Medium can still see it, and it can't continue to battle._

"So what about Shuppet? How strong do you think he is?" Atticus asked.

_Not very, we've just started working on manifesting. I'm going to try teaching him a few attacks before we get into any real battles. You keep an eye out for any more Ghost-types. If we're only using Pokeballs for registration there really shouldn't be a limit to how many we take with us, so long as we never use more than six in any 'official battle'._

"Hah, you're a lot more sneaky than I figured you'd be."The boy commented, causing Emily to stick out her tongue and float on ahead.

O~O~O~O~O

'Training' Shuppet turned out to be more like playing with the Pokemon. It was quite obvious the little ghost was quite young, and had a very brave nature. She started off by helping it manifest, coaching it until the edges of its body lost the blurry look. Once that was done they played tag, racing around the trail as fast as they could go.

The first time Shuppet bumped into a tree and started crying they had to take a small break to calm it down. It was amazing watching Emily work, tending to the little grey Pokemon like a young child. Once it was calmed down the two floated over to the tree again, and she began coaching the Pokemon on going intangible so that it could fly through it like it wanted to.

By the end of the first day of the trip they were once again playing tag, this time racing through the trees. Whenever Shuppet would catch up, Emily would fly through a tree trunk, forcing the Pokemon to slow down and concentrate on phasing through it. He was getting better, but it wasn't perfect yet.

Atticus made camp that night, lighting a small fire for dinner and setting up his tent. His two companions didn't tire or need sleep, so instead continued training, stopping to chat with him every so often. Shuppet, in fact, seemed to get even more energy as the sun began to set. The two humans agreed that they'd focus mainly on travelling during the day, and Emily would train her Pokemon all night.

_This has been a lot of fun so far._

"I'm glad you're enjoying it. I know you never planned on raising Ghost-types."

_I was actually planning on catching one and sending it to you, as a gift. I know you're not into Pokemon really, but I thought if it was a Ghost-type, it'd grow on you._

"Shuppet really is kind of cute. I don't see why most people are afraid of them."

_I've explained before. To normal people, Ghosts give off this weird aura about them that makes people uncomfortable. There's something about them that just screams 'wrongness', as if they don't belong in our world. I think the professors call it their 'disquiet'. But now that I'm dead, I agree with you, they are kind of awesome._

"What are your training plans so far then?"

_Mostly speed for now, I want to get him used to changing phases quickly so he can dodge physical attacks in a fight. So more tag, and then possibly hide and seek. If we find another ghost soon we can have them practice with each other._

"There's supposedly Misdreavus on the mountain. If we go south we might find a Ghastly in White Forest. There's also a haunted house on Route 15 we can visit."

_I know, I planned our whole trip last night remember?_

"When you weren't cuddling with me you mean?"

_Ah, well... you couldn't seem to sleep... I thought maybe a pretend hug would help._

"It did. I could sort of feel you, even though you feel cold and wet."

_Would you rather I'd died in a fire?_ Emily crossed her arms in indignation.

"I'd rather you didn't die at all. But I still... You still mean a lot to me."

_You still won't say it huh? Even though I'm dead._

"I won't say it _because_ you're dead. What good would it do?"

_A girl loves being complimented. Even when she's dead._ With that the ghost floated over him, laying in the air right above his sleeping bag. Leaning down she placed a small kiss on his cheek, that felt like someone had pushed an ice cube against him.

The moment was interrupted when Shuppet rose from the floor, glancing between his trainer and the Medium. Emily giggled, and turned to face her first Pokemon, pulling it up into her lap.

_Hey there Bozu! Mommy and Daddy were just having a talk. Want to continue playing?_ She asked, getting a nod from the little grey Pokemon.

"Bozu? Yeah, I guess he does kind of look like a 'teru teru bozu'." Atticus said, stifling a yawn.

_Go to sleep then, 'daddy', we'll wake you if we find a ghost for you to catch._

Atticus drifted off to the hauntingly melodic sounds of laughter, as the two ghosts played among the swaying trees.

O~O~O~O~O

_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

Atticus catapulted himself upright in his sleeping bag, blinkingly looking into the pitch black night around him. The fire had long since died, and the trees overhead blocked the moonlight. Calming himself down he peered around, trying to find the source of the scream. He stifled a grin when his eyes passed by a small Misdreavus. Pretending he didn't see her, he continued looking around, as the little Pokemon came closer for another scare.

Just before she could reach him his head whipped around, looking her right in the face he let out a scream of his own.

_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ Two screams pierced the night, and the Ghost-type Pokemon fell backwards, surprised to have her own Astonish turned around on her. Acting quickly he threw a Pokeball, grinning as the startled Pokemon disappeared in a flash of light.

_What's all the racket about?_ Emily floated into the clearing, followed shortly after by Bozu.

"This little witch tried to scare me for a quick meal." Atticus said, gesturing at the wobbling Pokeball. All sets of eyes watched in anticipation as the ball stopped shaking and clicked shut. Giving a small grin Atticus opened the ball, letting their latest Ghost-type Pokemon out.

She did a quick spin, wobbling in the air to gain her bearings. Immediately she faded out, trying to hide from those in the clearing. "Take it easy there, we're not going to hurt you."

_We can still see you, you know._ Emily added. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, as the little Ghost type zoomed off to hid within the trunk of a tree. _Come on now, you're not in any trouble._

Timidly, the screech Pokemon stuck her face out of the bark of the tree. _We know you feed on fear. We aren't mad at you for pranking us. We'd like to be your friends, how about you come out and we can introduce ourselves._

Slowly the ghost emerged from her hiding place, and floated down to the ground, where Atticus and Shuppet waited. "Hi there, I'm Atticus, this is Bozu, and that's Emily. She's going to be your trainer."

Misdreavus turned to look up at Emily as she floated along beside her. _Only if you want to come with us. It'll be a lot of fun I promise._

Bozu darted forward, flying in circles around his latest teammate, murmuring away in his own language. Misdreavus seemed overwhelmed, but politely stayed in one place, mumbling a reply every so often. "What should we call her?"

_How about Hexen? _The Misdreavus seemed to consider it a moment, before giving a soft nod. _Alright then Hexen, we were just playing hide and seek, want to join us?_

With that the three ghosts took to the air again, floating into the nearby trees. Each one would take turns being 'it' and hunting the others, the goal was to sneak up on the other ghosts and startle them. It was a rather inventive way of training several things at once, especially working with young Pokemon like Bozu.

Once again the night was filled with giggles and laughter, as well as the occasional shriek of fright. Atticus paid it no mind and resumed sleeping, relying on Emily to enforce the rule of 'nobody bother Atticus while he's sleeping'.

O~O~O~O~O

Dawn came only a few hours later, and Hexen got to play the role of alarm clock. The fear she caused in Atticus served as her breakfast, and the group of ghosts continued playing as he ate and packed up camp. Once on the road, Emily sent the two ghosts off to play tag, while she hovered alongside Atticus.

Around noon they started hitting patches of other trainers, and Emily began testing out the results of her training routine. The battles were all tough, since both of her Pokemon were relatively new to fighting, but once she had explained things as if they were a game they began to pick it up quick.

'The rules' got more and more complex as both Pokemon seemed to have a knack for finding loopholes. Most of the trainers he fought seemed to take it in stride once Atticus explained that 'his' Pokemon were young.

_We're off to a great start huh? I can't wait to see as much of this world as possible._

"I thought you were just looking to win a championship?" Atticus asked, raising an eyebrow.

_Well yeah, but it's not really that easy. The fun is all in the adventure, in the things we do along the way. I know you want to hurry along and get back to your life..._

"No. Not really. You were right, in a way, I suppose. I have a long time before I need to take over for my father. Even if I'm a lousy trainer, getting out to see the world is something of a rite of passage in our society." He sighed, looking down at the road. "I'll travel with you until you're satisfied."

_I'm glad. Even if I could do this on my own, it's so much better with you here. I think I see a trainer up ahead, I'm going to go round up Bozu and Hexen._

Sure enough, down the path there was a young boy, around thirteen years old. He was dressed in rather standard trainer clothing, all adorned with symbols of Pokeballs and such. Atticus, by comparison, was wearing rather nondescript hiking gear, which was sort of a necessity for living in the mountainous regions.

He watched as the trainer eyed him curiously, before fixing his gaze on Atticus' 'inherited' Pokegear, and began grinning. "You're a trainer?"

"Something like that." Atticus shrugged, already looking for Emily to come back. He noticed that the other trainer was wearing a strange necklace, a metallic six point starburst. "I suppose you want to battle?"

"You bet! Go, Pidove!" The trainer called, throwing a Pokeball into the air. It released a small bird which began circling around the path. Atticus merely looked off to the side, as Emily again floated into view, both Pokemon trailing her unseen by their opponent.

_Go get him Bozu!_ The little grey ghost-type floated out into the path, and manifested by pulling in shadows from the trees.

"A ghost type?" The trainer said, a slightly disgusted look crossing his face. "Tch, whatever. Pidove, fly up and use Gust!" The little bird pulled up sharply, and began flapping franticly towards the ghost, whipping up a wind that threatened to blow it way.

_Bozu, get out of the way!_ The Shuppet dodged, strafing to one side as the Pidove turned with him, trying to catch him in the gale. _Use screech!_ A piercing scream filled the air, causing the Pidove to wobble slightly from the noise.

The trainer's expression darkened more and more as the Ghost-type Pokemon fought on, seemingly without orders from its trainer. "Pidove, show this freak how a real Master fights. Use Air Cutter!" The wind whipped up again, this time sending sharpened lines of air towards the circling ghost.

_Bozu, go intangible and pass through them, then use Knock off!_ The trainer's eyes widened as the blades of air passed through the Ghost-type Pokemon, injuring it but doing nothing to keep it away. Its horn darkened as it struck with a blunted strike, usually built for disarming an opponent, that knocked the bird down a few feet.

"Pidove! Use quick attack to get out of there!" The trainer called. The pigeon Pokemon pulled out of its fall and began circling the battle area at high speed.

_Bozu, keep using screech!_ Atticus covered his ears as the Shuppet opened its mouth once more, filling the air with a grating scream. The opposing trainer tried to shout orders, but couldn't be heard above the cacophony. Frustrated by the headache inducing noise the Pidove changed direction, and tried to ram into the ghost. _Go intangible, then counter with Knock Off._

The quick attack passed through the Ghost-type harmlessly, causing the bird to stumble in the air as a chilling sensation passed through it. The screeching stopped, and it dimly heard its trainer ordering it to get out of there. Wings flapped as it righted itself, looking to climb higher into the air. Its gaze turned upwards, locking onto the eyes of its opponent. Bozu's horn glowed in a twisted black light, and Pidove knew no more.

"Pidove! Return!" The trainer snarled, recalling the Pokemon only after it had hit the ground and lay unmoving.

"Don't be so hard on it, it did a great job all things considered." Atticus called, as Bozu faded from view, exhausted.

"As if I care what you think! A filthy trainer using rotten tricks to get ahead. It should have taken more than that to bring down Pidove." The trainer growled, reaching for another ball. "Stantler, Takedown!"

Atticus nearly fell over in shock as the great deer Pokemon emerged in a flash and began charging right at him. Diving to the side he managed to avoid the rampaging Pokemon as it sped past. "What the hell! I don't even have a Pokemon on the field!"

"Whats the matter, out of dirty tricks?" The trainer taunted, as the Stantler turned around to charge once more.

"The hell is your problem you cheating bastard? You can't order your Pokemon to attack a trainer!" Atticus was getting pissed, something about this guy had rubbed him the wrong way from the start, but this was getting excessive.

"How are you giving commands to your Pokemon?" The trainer demanded, as Stantler lowered its antlers to charge again.

"I don't need to, they're well trained!" Atticus replied, staggering to his feet.

"Liar! You're impure aren't you? Some kind of Psychic, or a Medium! Filth like you should just die!" Suddenly it clicked. This boy was one of those Purist fanatics, aiming to do him in for being different. That symbol on his neck was the symbol for Normal type Pokemon.

"You're trying to kill me for using Ghost-type Pokemon?" Atticus yelled, seeing Emily urging both of her Pokemon to do something. Hexen was still timid, even after winning a few battles, and all of the anger and panic in the air wasn't helping the situation.

"They're as bad as Dark types, using tricks and deceit to get ahead. Or psychic types, messing with our minds, oppressing humans to do their bidding, when it should be the other way around. They don't belong in our world, filth like you doesn't belong in our world!" The trainer was practically frothing at the mouth as he drew a hunting knife from his boot and began to rush the Medium.

_AHHHHHHHHHHHH!_ A piercing scream snapped Atticus from his terror. Hexen had appeared directly in front of the Trainer's face, her scream scaring him badly enough for him to fall backwards. The Stantler charged, waving its antlers wildly to get the Ghost away from its trainer. Hexen retreated to the safety of the air, moving into the shade between the tree branches as the sun began to set.

_Hexen, use Psywave on that Stantler!_ Emily ordered. The timid ghost complied, remaining safely above the reach of the deer as it began chanting. The larger Pokemon stumbled slightly from the onslaught. _Good job, keep it up!_

"Stantler, ignore the stupid ghost, aim for the trainer with a Take Down!" The trainer had managed to climb to his feet.

"Umbreon, Faint Attack!" A calm voice sounded from the tree line. A dark blur rushed from the underbrush and intercepted the Stantler mid attack, knocking it down and out with a single strike.

"Y-y-you!" The trainer stammered, falling back down and trying to crawl away. "S-stay away from me!"

A figure emerged from the shadows, wearing tight black clothing that showed off his lean form. Around his neck was tied a long dark red scarf that flowed in some invisible wind behind him and obscured most of his face. Red eyes peered from behind black bangs as he glared down at the fumbling trainer.

"Mathew Davison. You are wanted in connection with a local gang of Purists, for the assault of five trainers, for the murder of three more, for the prolonged torture and rape of two girls, one of them who wasn't old enough to even own a Pokemon. For these crimes you will receive the death penalty. Do you have any last words?" The figure said, looming over the trembling boy.

"They weren't even human! Filth, all of them filth! Halfbreeds and Pokemon fuckers, fag and dikes and freaks! All of them deserved to die!" The trainer yelled, surging forward with his knife in hand.

"Drapion." The figure said calmly, a massive clawed tail shot from the trees and pinned the Purist to the ground. "I will now carry out your sentence. Rot, wretched fiend."

The Purist trainer writhed in agony as a deadly dose of Toxic flowed into him, the clawed tail of the monstrous Pokemon never letting him up off the ground. Atticus sat numb with horror, watching the morbid scene before him. A part of him wanted to interfere, but hearing what the boy had done, accusations that were not denied, crimes the boy even seemed proud of, made him hesitate. Remembering how close he came to being stabbed helped cement his decision.

Emily floated near him, looking horrified as the boy writhed and screamed, the poison eating away at him from the inside. She glanced down, feeling Atticus slip his hand through hers for comfort. Eventually the boy stopped moving, and the Drapion returned to its Pokeball. "I wish you no peace in the afterlife." The man whispered, and turned his attention towards Atticus.

"I'm sorry, both for making you watch that, and for you nearly dying tonight. I attacked a gang two nights ago, only he survived to flee. It took me until now to catch up to him." The man said, standing in front of the stunned Medium.

Atticus forced himself to look away from the body. "You do that to all of them?" He whispered.

"Not all. Only those who take their beliefs to the level of violence. They become monsters who prey upon the innocent, I merely put them down."

"Who are you?" Atticus asked, looking the man over. The clothing he wore looked thick and worn, like armor. He wore thick gloves and boots, and had a belt of supplies around his waist. All together he couldn't be more than eighteen years old.

"The 'Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore'." he said with a flourish and bow. "There are those in the Purist movement who speak of me in fearful whispers. They call me Nevermore. You, innocent trainer, may call me Poe."

"Poe. Fitting I suppose. So you were up here hunting him?" He asked, still trying to wrap his mind around everything.

"Indeed, the world has become a dangerous place for those not seen as Normal. It has long been the theory that humans that live among Pokemon for long enough can gain extraordinary abilities. Water trainers can hold their breath longer, Rock trainers have greater stamina and harder bones, Dark trainers can see better in low light." Poe said, walking over to the dead trainer and rummaging through his things. He took the boy's Pokegear, as well as a set of Pokeballs, recalling the unconscious Stantler, and pocketed several bills worth of money.

"Ghost trainers become Mediums." Atticus mumbled, sharing a look at Emily.

"Exactly. It runs in the family you see, there isn't anything really weird about it. But now the world has gone mad. There's rioting in the streets because of this 'Purist' movement. It's become an excuse to hate. Some of them take it all the way up to murder, willing to kill those they refuse to accept."

"I'm beginning to think leaving home was a bad idea." Atticus said. Surprisingly Emily seemed to agree.

"Hmm, a ghost trainer huh? I take it you're a Medium then? They certainly won't like you. But you shouldn't let that stand in between you and your dreams. Keep your head up, and eyes open, and avoid anyone with those symbols around their necks. The lot of them wear them proudly." He said, gesturing to the Normal symbol necklace. With a tug he removed it from the trainer, and placed it into a pouch alongside numerous others.

"Krokorok, a shallow grave for our dearly departed friend here." Poe called, releasing a large bipedal crocodile. Within moments the ground swallowed up the body, leaving no trace of its presence behind. "Do me one more favor? If you do find others like you out there, with legitimate special abilities, look out for them. They're few and far between, especially with this madness forcing them into hiding, but you'll all be safer if you stand together."

" 'Till we meet again, oh wandering spirit, I bid thee adieu!" He called, he and his Umbreon darting into the night.

Atticus let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and glanced up at the sky. The sun had set, leaving him in darkness as the stars began to come out, one by one. After a moment Emily floated ahead, scooping up Hexen into her arms. _You should make camp._

The Medium walked another mile before feeling comfortable enough to break camp, lighting a small fire to cook dinner on.

_Does none of this bother you?_ Emily asked, seeing him less shaken up than she was expecting.

"In his old journals my Uncle spoke about how Mediums lead cursed lives. We have one foot in the grave at all times, we see the results of death every day, so it never really bothers us. It's like with you, I cry for all the things you'll never get to do, but you're still with me. No matter how much I care about you, how much I adore your presence, there's a part of me that demands I send you on to your final resting place." Atticus said, laying back to look up at the stars.

_This is different though. That boy is dead! That man, Poe, murdered him. What about that boy's family, or friends?_

"What about mine? That 'boy' was going to kill me too. That 'boy' had already killed several people, and raped and tortured several more. Poe was right, he was a monster."

_And that gives someone the right to kill him? What if Poe was lying._

"You don't believe for a second he was lying. That kid didn't even bother to deny it. I would have killed him myself if he had touched you, why should it be any different for girls I don't know." Atticus mumbled.

_Atticus... You're right, I'm sorry. This whole thing just freaks me out. Is it really that dangerous out there? Will we really have to deal with this sort of thing, just to go on our journey?_

"I guess so, but we can't just run and hide from it. If this movement is gaining momentum, there has to be some sort of opposition. We'll continue our journey despite, no in spite of all of their stupid ideals." The Medium said, laying back against the grass.

_I grieved too, you know._ Emily said, after a moment's silence. _It sounds silly, but when I died I grieved, just as much as everyone else. It was selfish of me, to cry because I'd never catch my first Pokemon, never win my first battle, never become a Champion. Never get my first kiss._

_ I'm such a selfish person. My family was crying, because they'd never see me again, and there I was moping about petty little things. When you were in danger today, there was a small part of me that said 'When he dies, we'll be together again'._

"We will." Atticus said, surprising the ghost. "When I die we will be together again. Although I'm in no rush, it's a comforting thought. I hope you don't mind that I may be an old man."

_Sucks to be you, I'll be fifteen forever. Although, when you die, try to go in your sleep. Only a beauty like me can pull off the drowned look._

They both chuckled slightly at the morbid humor, the tension from earlier fading slightly. "You're wrong though, about some stuff. You've already caught your first and second Pokemon, and won plenty of battles today."

_All because of your help_.

"Then I'll help you with everything else on the list as well."

_Everything?_

"Absolutely everything."

Ice cold lips brushed against his own, as gentle as a phantom breeze, filling him with a slight tingling sensation.

_You're such a wonderful person._

"Can you feel it, when you do stuff like that?" Atticus wondered, reaching out to trace the edges of her face.

_There's a weird sort of warmth to it. Not body heat, but... emotional? It's like your pushing love and affection into me._

"Makes sense. Ghosts are emotional creatures, after all." Atticus muttered, letting his hand cup the space her chin occupied, and focusing on all his feelings for her. Leaning in he kissed her, shocked to find an almost physical presence meet his lips. It still felt like kissing an ice sculpture, but after a moment he pulled away and she smiled.

_Your lips are blue._ She teased, floating up and away from him. _Get some sleep Romeo, we can practice your special 'Ghost Pokemon' abilities another night._

Atticus fell asleep with a small smile, listening as once again a chorus of shrieks and giggles filled the night while Emily and her Pokemon played 'hide and seek'.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, check it out!" Atticus called, pointing up at the top of a nearby tree. It was early morning, about a week had passed on their journey and they had made it to route 14 with no further incidents.

Emily turned away from where she was 'training' with her Pokemon, looking up at where he pointed. _Is that a... Drifloon?_

"I think so, it's tied off on one of the branches up there. I can't reach it, you'll have to get it to come down before I can catch it."

_Bozu, Hexen, come here for a second?_ The ghost called. The Shuppet darted forward, doing a few circles of Emily and Atticus while Hexen approached with more caution. _I know you two have been working hard against lately, all those wins against those trainers proves that much. That's why I want to add another ghost to our team, okay?_

Bozu bounced enthusiastically a few times, excited to fight once more. The Misdreavus hesitated a bit before nodding. _Follow me then._ Emily said, taking off towards the treetops.

_Hello!_ She called, coming to a stop in front of the Drifloon. The balloon Pokemon turned slowly to face her, still bobbing aimlessly in the wind. _Uh, I'm Emily, and I'm a Pokemon trainer._

The Ghost-Flying type gave no reaction, still floating about in the breeze. _I'd like to catch you, and take you with me on my journey. It'll be a lot of fun._

No response. Emily sighed. _Well, in order to catch you, you need to manifest, and come down to the ground. Could you do that for me? Pretty please? _The balloon still wobbled on the wind, giving no sign of even understanding the trainer's pleas.

Sighing, the ghost trainer gave up, and drifted back down to the ground. _I don't know what's up with that Pokemon, but it certainly doesn't seem enthusiastic about coming with us. Let's keep looking, maybe we can find another._

Nodding in agreement, Atticus picked up his gear once more, and followed them along the path. The weather on route 14 was a great improvement over what his home had to offer. This close to the ocean they'd get bad storms occasionally, but never the persistent rain he was used to. Winding along the base of the mountains the route was littered with streams caused by runoff.

_Ah..._ A brief noise caught Atticus's attention as he walked across a small wooden bridge over one such stream. Turning around he noticed Emily hesitating, floating at the edge of the water.

"Something wrong?" He asked, noticing both of their Pokemon looking at the girl as well.

_I don't know, it just feels odd..._ She said, tentatively pushing her hand out, then drawing it back.

"What feels odd?" Atticus asked, walking over to stand beside her.

_Going over the river. Once I'm over running water I feel really... Bad._ She shrugged, unable to find words to describe it.

"Huh, I'm not sure if that's a ghost thing, or if it's just because of how you died but... Do you think you can cross it anyways? If you go really quickly I mean? It's just a small river now, but... Unova has two massive rivers crossing it, so that's four bridges we'll have to cross at least. Not to mention the ocean if we decide to go to other continents." Atticus mentioned, reaching out to comfort his friend.

_Ugh, I know... It sucks but... I guess it's sort of like seasickness. I've never been on a boat before but we talked about it in school remember? I'll feel awful but I'll survive... well... Not 'survive' but you know what I mean._ Emily giggled at her own joke, and then floated back to get a 'running start' at the river. She'd explained before that momentum didn't work that way for ghosts, they could go directly to top speed from a standstill right away, but it felt more natural to her to do it her way.

_Gaaaaaahhhhhhh!_ She cried as she rushed over the bridge, coming to a stop once over solid ground. _Blah, that sucked, I feel like I could puke._

Atticus followed after her, inspecting her condition. She did indeed look ill, as if she was just recovering from the flu, but as time ticked by she seemed to noticeably improve. Both of the Ghost Pokemon didn't seem effected by crossing the water, which was good, as plenty of trainers loitered on the bridges of Unova.

"Will you be alright?" Atticus asked, both questioning her current state, as well as her willingness to continue.

_I'll be fine, death can't stop me from being a trainer, some stupid bridges won't either._ She said, firming up and floating ahead. _Let's go, I want to battle at least three more trainers before we make camp._

The day progressed, bringing with it several more wins, and a loss against a tough trainer with a dark type Pokemon. It was a weakness they were still trying to work around, but they would no doubt overcome it in time. The great thing about Ghost type Pokemon was their ability to recover, no wound for them was ever permanent. If injured they could merely fade out, and after a few hours rest they'd be good as new. Right now, with a win/loss record sitting around 27 and 9 it was definitely a good thing.

Setting up camp and eating dinner had become an ingrained habit for Atticus, and he went about his routine in silence while Emily and the Pokemon continued to play. Bozu had invented a new game, which involved trying to scare Atticus in as many creative ways as possible. It was tricky, since the young Medium could see the ghost despite its best attempts at remaining invisible, but he allowed the game to continue because if encouraged creativity.

"Um... Hello there?" An wavering voice called from the path. He'd set up camp in a small clearing off to the side of the main road, the light of his fire and the smell of food must have attracted a fellow trainer.

"Hey there, what can I do for you?" He asked, faking enthusiasm. Emily had insisted that he hide his reclusive nature, being outgoing was apparently a big part of being a trainer. So if he was going to fake being a trainer...

"Well um... we were just looking for a place to stay..." A young girl, around his age with short brown hair and a white sundress stepped into the light. Following at her heals was a strong looking Luxray. "I was hoping... we could camp with you?"

She looked hopeful, and he noticed a bit of a tremble in her voice and actions. Nodding, he gestured over to the fire, "Help yourselves. I don't have any Pokemon food, but the stew should be fine for both of you."

She seemed to relax at that, and scurry over to sit by the fire. There was a fog rolling in off the ocean, and it was getting quite cold out. Come to think of it, he didn't see any gear on her at all. "What are you doing out this far, without any gear? It can be dangerous on these roads."

The tension came back full force, and the girl paused mid bite, eyes widening. "Hey, relax, I don't mean anything by it, I'm just curious. My name's Atticus by the way." He said, trying to put her at ease. There was something weird going on here, and the last thing he wanted was to spook her and have her run off into the night.

"My name's A-Ashley." She said, taking a few more bites of food, as if testing it, then pouring a bowl for her Pokemon. "This is Luke."

"Nice to meet you." The Medium said, noticing the ghosts had returned, and were inspecting the situation.

_What's up with her? She acts like hasn't eaten in days, and that clothing isn't suited for travelling far._

Atticus gave a barely visible shrug, and continued eating. Whoever this girl was, he was fine with his campsite being a haven for the night. "Do you have a sleeping bag? Or a change of clothing or anything?" He asked, noticing her continue to shiver even near the heat of the fire.

Ashley shook her head, looking down in shame. "I was f-... I left in a hurry. It was silly of me but... I ran out of food a few days ago, but Luke is good at finding berries."

"You can take some of my food with you in the morning, I've only got myself to feed, and I plan on restocking in White Forest." The boy said, noticing the visible flinch when he mentioned the small town. Ashley seemed to look over her shoulder every few seconds.

"What about your Pokemon? Where are they?" the young girl asked.

"Keeping watch. They'll see anything coming long before anything sees them. It's great to have friends like that, really."

The girl seemed to relax a little more, and her Luxray padded over to rest its head in her lap. She absently scratched him behind his ears and it began to purr.

_You should ask her what's up, I think she's from White Forest, and something obviously has her spooked. I don't want you walking into a trap if something's happened there._

"You're from White Forest right?" He asked, slowly, in the most non-accusing tone possible. "You couldn't have come from much further without proper supplies."

"Y-yeah." She stammered, glancing about nervously. In the light of the fire he could just barely make out a redness around her eyes.

"What happened there, that made you run away?"

She tensed, and he felt certain for a moment she would bolt out into the fog, probably to her death. "Listen, you've got to trust me. You're exhausted, probably still hungry, and your Pokemon could use the rest as well right? If you want to survive, you've got to trust me."

"Purists..." She whispered, and Atticus let out a low breath, waiting for her to continue. "I lived in White forest my whole life. I got Luke as my pet when I was four. We always had trainers passing through, but in the past few months more and more of those 'Purists' started coming through, and started sticking around for longer and longer periods of time. I kept away from them, but a few days ago they came to my house. They knew what I'd done, they _knew_, I don't know how but they said the 'oracle' told them. They were there to... My parents held them off, and told me to run. I grabbed Luke and..."

She was crying by the end of her story, her Luxray was doing his best to comfort her, but it didn't seem like enough. Ignoring the growl of warning for the Electric type, Atticus rose to his feet and walked around the fire, pulling the girl into a hug.

"They're probably dead... my parents are probably dead because of me." She whimpered.

"It's not your fault. Those guys are scum, they did what they did because they have issues, not because of anything you did."

"I should have run earlier. I should have packed my things and left once people started disappearing. But I was just like the rest of the village, willing to turn a blind eye as long as it was only the occasional passing trainer. None of us thought they'd turn on the locals." She wept, hugging her Pokemon tightly.

"You can't go through there. It's too dangerous. You should turn around, and go towards Undella town. I don't know if it's any safer there, but White Forest is too dangerous. They know if you're not one of them. I don't understand how but they _Know_."

_What are we going to do? Could she be right? If they somehow know you're a Medium you'll be a target the moment you walk through town._

"How many trainers went missing?" Atticus asked, once the girl seemed to have calmed down. He was already heating up more food, it was obvious her and her Pokemon were still hungry.

"At least five. It was always after they left, so we didn't really notice until people came looking for them. Once it became obvious they were disappearing around town, people started being less friendly, trying to encourage travelers to leave as soon as possible. It worked at first, but lately..."

"Lately the Purists seemed to know right away?" Atticus asked, getting a nod of agreement. "Did anything change, around that time? Anything that struck you as weird?"

"Miko... Miko started hanging around with them, which was odd. She always kept to herself growing up, like large crowds seemed to bother her. I used to think she was like me, actually, since she had a Kirlia with her all the time."

"Like you? In what way?" Atticus asked, mimicking the question Emily asked.

"Ah well... you know... 'close' to our Pokemon." Ashely looked to the side, once more nervous.

"R-right... What do you mean 'had' a Kirlia?" Atticus changed the subject, it seemed neither of them wanted to discuss the meaning behind her explanation.

"That's just it, one day I just stopped seeing her. She would be hanging out with the Purists, but her Kirlia was never around. She looked so unhappy." Ashley explained, drawing her legs up to her chest. "I can't imagine how awful it must be for her."

"Alright, eat up and get some sleep. You can rest up here all of tomorrow, I'll see what I can do about finding you some real supplies. There's a town, up in the mountains, near the Abundant Shrine. Go up there and you'll be safe from Purists, at least for a while. What you do from there is up to you, but at least you won't be in immediate danger." Atticus said, already planning ahead. Something was going on in White Forest, and as much as Emily urged him to avoid it, he wanted to see if he could sort it out.

That night, as the girl and her Pokemon slept, Atticus considered his options.

_So, what are we going to do?_ Emily asked, floating near him as he stared into the fire.

"I want to go to White Forest." Atticus replied, calmly.

_It'll be dangerous. Even if they don't have some weird way of knowing, the moment you bring out a ghost they won't like you._

"I know, but this has been going on for months now, and nobody has done anything. Not the locals, not the police, nobody. How many people have to die before someone stands up to them?"

_Why does it have to be you? We only have two Pokemon, and while they're growing in strength, they aren't that powerful yet. We had difficulty fighting that one Purist the other day._

"Right, but I was thinking. You're the one who does the battling right? So I can stay safe, while you go around town, gathering info and attacking Purists, one by one. Even if you lose a battle, you can just retreat and try again later." Atticus suggested, causing Emily to grin slightly.

_So we haunt them then? What will that do? Scare them into leaving town? This isn't some stupid game where bad guys throw money at us and run because we beat them in a Pokemon battle. That last Purist ordered direct attacks on you, and pulled a knife when he thought he may lose._

"So we get proof. Proof that they are involved with killing those people. Then we fight back on their own terms, by attacking them directly." Atticus shrugged.

_You mean like, kill them in their sleep? You want me to kill people for you? You want me to order my Pokemon to kill people? Atticus have you lost your mind?_

"Take a look." He said, gesturing at the girl who lay shivering near the fire. She had her arm around her Pokemon, and was holding it close like a pillow. "That's just a single example of a life they ruined. Her parents may be dead for defending her. For what? What did she do to deserve something like this, can you even think of anything? There are likely a dozen people who are worse off than her because of those guys. Float around when we get to White Forest. I'll bet you find a dozen reasons to kill those Purists."

_It'll take about a week to get there right?_

"If we walk slow, which I suggest we do." Atticus agreed.

_Then I'm going to seriously step up the training. I'm not having you get killed because of this righteous streak of yours._

"The spirits cry out with vengeance!" the Medium joked.

_Can it. Go to sleep, I have work to do._

O~O~O~O~O

The next day came and went smoothly. Ashley spent the majority of it resting, when she wasn't up and eating for meals. Atticus sat by the road, challenging any trainer that passed. When he won he asked for spare supplies, instead of cash, and to his surprise most trainers were quite generous. By dawn of the second day he had a decent travelling kit prepared for the young girl.

"I can't thank you enough for doing this for me. Especially since... you know..."

"You aren't weird you know. Everyone is different in different ways, it's not always obvious but it's true. Nobody should be punished for our uniqueness. Whatever it is you did that those guys think is so terrible, it doesn't mean you deserved any of this. I wish you the best of luck on your journey." Atticus gave her a kind pat on the shoulder, and watched as she walked out of sight, her loyal Luxray in tow.

_That was a really nice thing you did. I doubt many trainers would have taken so much time._

"Most trainers don't have someone else doing all the training for them. How's everyone coming along?" Atticus asked, once certain nobody else would hear him.

_Good. Really good actually. I've got both of them playing 'Shadow tag' now, along with their other 'games'. I'm consistently amazed at how well this training method works on them._

"How does shadow tag work?" Atticus asked, packing up what remained of the campsite.

_It's basically to teach them Shadow Sneak. Rather than phasing through the ground or an object, they hide themselves in a shadow, and move around that way. Once they're good enough they can even move shadows around. Right now we play by me sitting still and the two of them trying to sneak up on my using shadows. Eventually I'll start moving around to make it more difficult._

"Good, I worry though, that everyone in this damn Purist movement uses Normal types." Atticus said, packing the last of the gear into his bag.

_I doubt they all do. Remember the winner of that tournament had a rather balanced team. I think they just avoid Dark, Ghost and Psychic types. Either way we need a variety of moves to rely on in the future, which is why we need to travel a lot. I want to get a Jellicent, Golurk, and Chandelure from Unova at least, to give us better type coverage. I also kind of want to get a Sableye, Froslass and Dusknoir, so we need to go to Hoenn at some point._

"Yeah, I'll leave that sort of decision making to you. Just tell me where we need to go." Atticus shrugged, glancing up at the morning sky. "Hey, we have a visitor again."

Emily looked up as well, and noticed the Drifloon attached to a nearby tree. _Is that the same one?_ Floating up to investigate she was again rewarded with blank stares when she tried to speak to it. _Arceus that thing is infuriating! It's like it knows EXACTLY what I'm saying, it just doesn't care._

"Then why is it following us?" Atticus asked, as the two began following the path towards White Forest.

_Who knows? Let's just ignore it for now. It followed us this far because we left it alone, maybe if we keep it up it'll climb into a Pokeball on its own._

"That wouldn't help us if it still refused to listen. Could you imagine trying to fly on one of those if it when wherever it pleased?" Atticus grumbled.

O~O~O~O~O

High noon came and went. Being by far the worst time for Ghost types to be fighting, Atticus spent a few hours taking an extended lunch break, while the ghosts were off training in the shaded woods. Finishing the small meal, he stood, ready to once again continue walking.

"Hey, you're a trainer right?" A voice called from the road. Atticus sighed, he needed a badge or something to wear.

"Yeah, you want a battle?" He replied, scratching the back of his head and slumping out onto the street.

"Jeeze, no need to look so enthusiastic." The girl who spoke had short red hair and wore athletic clothing. It appeared she relied on constantly moving to stay warm. He also noticed, worryingly, that she wore a Purist necklace.

"Uh... You're not gunna try and stab me for using Ghost type Pokemon are you?" He asked, looking the girl over for weapons.

"What? No! What the hell kind of person do you think I am?" She seemed genuinely offended.

"Well considering every 'Purist' I've met has been a raving psychopath..." Atticus shrugged, out of the corner of his eye he noticed Emily was ready.

"Hmph. I got this as a gift from some nice people back in White Forest. They said it'd bring me good luck." She said, clutching the metalic star with one hand.

"I'm sure it did, since those people have been killing anyone they find 'weird'." Atticus muttered, shaking his head. "They probably gave you that as a sign to their friends not to off you on the way out."

"What? No way! They were so nice to me." She actually seemed worried, as if she doubted the words.

"They didn't ask you a bunch of stuff about your family history? About your relationship with your Pokemon? They didn't ask what you thought about Psychics and stuff?" Atticus asked.

_Lay off of it Atticus, she's obviously not like the others. Let's just have that battle, and we can talk later._

"Whatever, my name's Atticus, and I challenge you to a Pokemon battle. Two Pokemon each okay?" He said, snapping the girl out of her shock.

"My name's Summer... And a two Pokemon battle is fine by me!" She was shouting near the end of her reply, the thought of battle seemingly rekindling her confidence. "Go, Monferno!"

_Go Hexen! Start off with Astonish!_ The little ghost type manifested onto the field directly behind the flaming monkey. Summer called out to warn it, but when it turned around an earsplitting scream scared it off its feet.

"Hey! No fair! Monferno, get up and show it your Mach Punch!"

_Hexen, go intangible and counter with a Psywave!_ The monkey Pokemon's fist passed right through the ghost's face, and the fire Pokemon stumbled, clutching its head as Hexen began chanting.

"Get up and give it a Flame Wheel!" Summer called, fired up by the exciting battle. The ape sprung to its feet once again, and started spinning towards Hexen, catching fire along the way. The ghost was unable to dodge in time, taking a powerful hit that knocked it back several feet. "Good, hit it again Monferno!"

_Hexen! Use Confuse Ray!_ The command came just as the Misdreavus was regaining its bearings, and it managed to hit the Monkey before it could start spinning again. Monferno stumbled and launched the attack again, this time missing by several feet and hitting a tree.

"Damn! Monferno Return!" Summer called, pulling a Pokeball from her belt.

_If she returns, the confusion will fade. Hexen, Mean Look! _The ghost obeyed immediately, glaring at Monferno as the red beam from the Pokeball struck him. The taunting look sent the hot headed Pokemon into a frenzy. Ignoring the orders to return it began swinging wildly at Hexen, its attacks missing or phasing through the ghost when it didn't end up injuring itself. Eventually the fire type fell over, too exhausted to continue.

"Whew, that was intense. I really need to teach him not to get so fire up." Summer said, returning her Pokemon. "You're so chill! Just standing there without a care in the world while your Pokemon tears it up. Guys like you burn me up!"

"Ah... should you send out your next Pokemon now?" Atticus asked, as Hexen vanished from the field.

_She seriously likes her fire analogies. I'm shocked the Purists let her pass, but maybe they're laying low after Ashley escaped._

"Go, Pansear!" Summer called, sending yet another flaming monkey on to the field.

_Oh man, I thought her Monferno would be her ace. This is ridiculous! Uh... Bozu, do you think you can take him?_

"Come on, this battle is just warming up! Give me all you've got!" Summer called, itching to start the battle. Her Pansear mimicked her attitude, bouncing up and down on its toes. Suddenly an odd wind picked up, and the Drifloon from earlier floated down into the path. "Uh... is this yours?" She asked, gesturing to the Pokemon which didn't seem to notice there was a battle going on.

_Drifloon, are you going to fight for us?_ Emily asked hopefully. The Pokemon turned to look at her blankly, before returning its attention to the battle. _Great... It's just doing whatever it feels like... again..._

"Pansear! Work Up!" Summer shouted, and the monkey crouched low, flames began licking across its body. Drifloon floated about aimlessly, wobbling slightly in the breeze. "Again Pansear!" Summer called, and the flames began to roll higher off of it.

"Now! Hit it with a Flame Burst!" A large get of fire flew from the ape, slamming dead on target against the Drifloon. The ghost type seemed shaken out of its stupor by the pain, and inflated, riding the hot air current up away from the enemy Pokemon.

Once it had reached several feet off of the ground it exhaled, blowing a gust of wind down towards the ground. "Hah, it'll take more than a Gust to stop us! Pansear, keep up the Fire Busts!" The Fire type complied, sending a barrage of fire into the air, but to everyone's surprise the flames seemed to be losing strength over time. "What? Pansear, what's wrong?" The monkey seemed to be staggering, the flames it had built up were dying out.

_That wasn't a Gust, that was a Clear Smog! It removes any status boosts to the opposing Pokemon!_ Emily shouted excitedly. The Drifloon sucked in another breath of air, and began using Focus Energy.

"Pansear, jump up there and hit it with a Crunch!" Summer ordered, and the Monkey quickly scaled a nearby tree, leaping out over open space to grab hold of the Balloon Pokemon. The Drifloon let out a screech of pain. It grabbled the Fire type with one of its ties, which glowed black for a moment, and swing the offending monkey into the ground in Revenge. Not letting up the other tie came down as well and wrapped up the Fire type, using Imprison to subdue it.

"Pansear! Break free!" Summer cried, seeing her Pokemon get pulled into the air. The Drifloon Constricted, putting pressure on the Fire type till it submitted. "Alright, that's enough. Pansear, return!"

The Fire type disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the exhausted Ghost type alone in the path. Seeing an opportunity, Atticus threw the Pokeball, smirking as it shook only twice before clicking shut. They could work on his attitude problem later, Drifloon was quite the little powerhouse one way or another.

Reluctantly exchanging information with the enthusiastic girl, Atticus set out once more down the road. White Forest loomed ahead of him, a milestone bigger than any first gym battle. He knew it was something he had to face, he couldn't just turn around and go to Undella town, leaving who knows how many more people to their fate. Still, a part of him dreaded what was to come, and he slept fitfully that night.


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't believe this..." Atticus sighed, moping along the path towards White Forest. He had sent out their new Drifloon the night before, and Emily attempted to integrate him into their group. It was slow going, the Ghost-Flying hybrid seemed content to do its own thing most of the time, but luckily the 'game style' training method interested the Pokemon enough for it to take part. The real problem was that 'Ventus', as Emily had decided to name him, decided to attach himself to Atticus' neck while they travelled.

It wasn't a huge problem, as unless he decided to manifest he had no actual mass, and when he did he only weighed about two pounds. Still, it seemed the Pokemon knew exactly how much it annoyed everyone, and took every opportunity to do so.

_Cheer up, I think he makes a great fashion accessory._ Emily giggled, soaring on ahead while Hexen and Bozu darted about, playing among the trees.

"That's great, because he won't listen to you if you tell him to stop." Atticus grumbled, hitting a rather sore spot for the spirit girl. "He's probably our strongest fighter at the moment, but he won't follow orders. What if he just decides to jump in on a fight? Most trainers wouldn't laugh something like that off as an accident. We should probably keep him in a Pokeball, till he starts to listen."

_Awww, Ventus wouldn't do something like that. He knows better than to make us put him away in that cruel little ball, doesn't he?_ Emily cooed, reaching over to scratch the ghost's head. Ventus merely continued bobbing in the wind, as if nothing had happened.

"We're almost to White Forest. It'll be nice to eat a real meal for once, instead of prepared travel rations."

_Do you seriously think with your stomach? We can't let our guard down once we reach there. Honestly we should take care of any business as quickly as possible, and then move on. It's not our problem._

"It is our problem. They're actively hurting people like me. If anything I should report what I know to the Police. I'll see if they can do anything. I'll try to stay out of trouble, but if they come after me, they're going down. Using whatever force necessary."

_Oooh listen to Mr Tough Guy all of a sudden. They're my Pokemon, they'll listen to me, not you. We can't take on too many trainers at once anyways. Keep your head down, restock on supplies, and move to the next town._

"What if they're all like this though. You heard people talking, the movement is spreading. It's all over the radio, people are protesting, holding rallies, vandalizing Pokemon Gyms. It's not just Unova either, Hoenn, Sinnoh, even far off places like Johto and Kanto are affected. I'm not sure how much longer it'll be before it all blows over." Atticus sighed. He was caught off guard when Emily floated down to embrace him from behind, the familiar cold sensation washing over him.

_I just wanted to go on a journey. See the world, catch some Pokemon, challenge some gym leaders, participate in a tournament. Why does the world have to go crazy right as it's my turn to live the dream?_

"If the world wasn't crazy, I doubt I'd be travelling around playing proxy for my dead girlfriend." Atticus quipped.

_Oh, so I'm your girlfriend now am I?_

"Ah, well... who else are you going to date?"

_Smooth. I'd slap you for that, but it'd just give you brain freeze. There's an idea. Come here you jerk!_

Atticus ran ahead laughing, dodging attempts from Emily to catch him. _Ventus, stop him!_ She called, and to his surprise the string around his neck unwound, and grabbed a hold of his backpack. He was jerked off his feet when the Balloon Pokemon manifested and inflated, raising him several feet off the ground.

"Hey, no fair, put me down!" Soft giggles met his complaints, as Emily casually floated right through him. Atticus immediately broke out into goose bumps and exhaled fogged breath. "J-j-jerk! That's c-cold!"

_Hmm, so you're my only option huh? I guess I could do worse. Still, a relationship could be problematic don't you think?_

"You mean like me getting frostbite from kissing you? Yeah, just a slight setback. Can you call off Ventus before he decides to fly up a hundred feet and drop me?"

_Fine, fine, let him go Ven. _The Pokemon, surprisingly enough, obeyed, dropping Atticus unceremoniously to the ground, and reattaching himself to the human's neck. _There's a lot of problems huh? And I guess, with everything going on in the world, they must not seem too imporant._

"Don't be silly, I'm only on this trip because of your dreams. The rest of the world can go to hell in a hand basket as long as it doesn't tough my home... After you become a champion." Atticus said, smiling up at his companion. "I promised to help you do everything you ever wanted to do."

_You say that now but..._

"Everything." Atticus reaffirmed, setting off once again down the road. "There's a few rituals in my Uncle's old book that could help. He travelled the world in his days, collecting and comparing information with other Mediums. I'd kind of like to do that myself if there's time. I should have the whole thing read by the time we hit Celestial Tower, and we can do Mt. Pyre in Hoenn as well, while we're there."

_Rituals like what?_

"Stuff like, calling back spirits temporarily from an important object of theirs, to putting up barriers to prevent ghosts from manifesting or even entering. It's really need stuff."

_How would that help... us?_

"Oh, uh, well... there's one ritual that allows me to temporarily..."

_Temporarily what?_

"Die. I mean like, have my spirit leave my body. It sounds a lot worse than it really is, trust me. And I think it's preferable to having you possess someone just to go on a date."

_I... I don't think you should do it._

"Well I can't right now anyways, the ritual needs preparation time. I can make Spell Tags and Cleanse Tags if you like though."

_What do those do?_

"Spell Tags are used when Ghosts manifest to make them more... real I suppose. It makes them stronger as long as the tag is inside of them. Cleanse Tags basically give off a 'disquiet' of their own, helping to repel Pokemon and People."

_Since we're still training, I'll pass on the Cleanse Tags, but Spell Tags sound handy, how many can you make?_

"I'll start working on one tonight, it should be done by the time we hit White Forest. With the system we're using I'll have to hold on to it when the Pokemon aren't manifested."

_ Whoa, hold on a second, do you feel that?_

"Hmm? Whoa! Yeah, I just felt it, what do you think it is?" Atticus stopped and closed his eyes, letting the odd feeling wash over him. All of the ghosts in the party quivered in anticipation, feeling an odd energy saturating the air. "I think... I think it's coming from that way!" Atticus said, pointing in a westward direction. Emily nodded and took off in its direction. "Hold on! I didn't say it was safe!"

_What could possibly harm a ghost?_

"You'd be surprised!" The Medium called, struggling to keep up with his airborne travelling companions. It took nearly an hour to find the source of the disturbing energy, which said a lot about the strength of it. The team eventually came to a stop at the bottom of a large jagged cliff, where a tattered cloak hung from a rock about a hundred feet up.

"Is that it?" Atticus asked, opening an old tome from his backpack to look up any information on it.

_It reeks of energy. It's like that old lady's perfume shop back home, it sort of 'smells' good, but its overpowering._

Atticus agreed. There was no real way to describe it, he had been born with a sense that most people didn't have. He could 'see' ghosts the same way he could 'smell' the energy coming from the flapping fabric. "Here it is, I think it's a Reaper Cloth. 'A torn off piece of the veil between life and death, said to be caused by a strong spirit passing over.' It's used to make Dusclops evolve into a Dusknoir."

_It's so soft..._

"Don't touch it! I have no idea what it does to human ghosts! Just, put it down and come down here." The Medium called up to her, even growing up around the shrine hadn't prepared him for something like this.

_Don't be silly, I'm fine! Look!_ Sure enough she held the cloth in her hands. It was larger than he expected, long enough for someone his age to wear comfortably as a cloak. _Hmm, I have an idea._

Swooping down with the cloth in her arms she draped it ceremoniously over Atticus's shoulders. He shivered involuntarily, it smelled like an ancient tomb, long since devoid of any life at all, and felt like being absolutely alone in the dark. His senses sharpened, and he became aware of each and every ghost around him, regardless of whether he was looking at them.

"I don't feel comfortable wearing this." He said, shifting nervously beneath the oppressive feeling of the cloth. "I feel like... like I'm being crushed beneath the weight of my own mortality."

_Ah, but... Check it out._ Emily said, pulling the cloth snug around him. _I can touch the cloth, and you can touch the cloth, as long as it's between us..._

She leaned in, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug. He felt her presence, along with a delicious pressure that he hadn't felt since that final night of her life. There was no cold, nor heat or any other sensation, just the comfort of a hug in the total emptiness of a lightless void.

Atticus closed his eyes, feeling himself slip away into the embrace, as if it was his soul itself that hovered in the abyss. He felt the tight grip of her arms, wrapping themselves around him tighter than the cloth. He felt her chin rest upon his shoulder, and her head press against the side of his face. He felt her chest pressed up against his own, and noticed the disturbing lack of breathing or pulse.

And then she stepped away. At once the comfort vanished, replaced with the oppressive claustrophobia of being alone at the bottom of an ocean of shadows. Something moved in the darkness, and Atticus panicked, throwing the cloth off of his body.

He staggered to the ground, panting rapidly to chase the fear from his body. Emily looked on in worry, and placed an icy hand against his forehead to calm him down. "I don't think humans are meant to wear that." He said, when he had finally caught his breath.

_Well we're taking it with us, we'll need one when we find a Dusclops. Let me try something._ Stooping down she collected the cloth, throwing it around herself like she had done for Atticus. _It doesn't bother me. It actually feels like an old blanket, kind of like the one I had as a child. It's like its heated too, I haven't felt this warm and dry since before I died._

"Good for you, why don't you wear it then. I'm never putting that on again, even if I do need a hug. The panic attack isn't worth it." Atticus grumbled.

_Hold me then._

"What?"

_You give me a hug now, and see if it bugs you when you aren't wrapped in it._

Seeing the girl was dead serious, Atticus sighed, and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. Like before there was no sensation associated with it. It was like touching a sheet draped over a statue, except there was no texture to the cloth. There was no heat, no sound, no sense at all to tell him there was something there if he were to close his eyes. Yet a tiny part of his brain filled in the gaps, reminding him of the curves of her body, the smell of her hair mixed with rainwater, the barest hint of breath washing across his ear. It was that small part of his mind that told him he was hugging Emily, his closest friend, and not some strange sheet draped across a ghost.

The moment ended, and he stepped back, seeing the girl's face smiling back from under a makeshift hood. _It works! We'll have to get it modified, make it into a proper cloak, with sleeves so I can hug you back. Oh, and if we find more we can make it into a full outfit, I can have changes of clothes! It'll be wonderful to get out of these perpetually damp outfits._

"Ah, you'll have to find a way to get rid of your current outfit, unless you want to wear a Reaper Cloth dress over the wet clothing." Atticus reminded her, cutting off her excited train of thought.

_Well, till then, a simple cloak will have to do. Can other people see me when I wear it?_

Looking closely Atticus squinted at the boundaries to her form, picking out the slight blur to where the edges should be. "It doesn't look like it. I think wearing the cloak makes it turn invisible."

_Oh, we should get one for you then, going invisible is definitely handy. Especially if you can go through walls._

"Absolutely not. I'm in no hurry to get eaten by some kind of Ghost-Dragon." Atticus said, shaking his head. By this point he had started back on the trail towards the path. "The cloth lets ghosts interact with the real world better. What do you think it lets the living do?"

_Ah, right. I guess the afterlife is a scary place for the living._

"I'll be most disturbed if we find enough of those things to make you a full wardrobe. I highly doubt there's more than one or two in a region." The Medium said.

_So, trade with other Mediums. They're likely to find stuff like this occasionally right? I highly doubt they use them to make clothing. Can a Dusclops evolve from wearing a gothic dress?_

Atticus snickered at the image for a moment, before continuing on to the path. "Well I'm certainly not getting someone in White Forest to work on that for you. We'll need to find a tailor we can trust not to ask why I need a Reaper Cloth cloak made."

_In the mean time, I'll work on getting rid of the clothes I'm stuck wearing. Honestly I'd prefer it if I was wearing my funeral attire. I really liked that dress._

"Alright, but don't be surprised if you get rid of your clothing, and have a hard time getting it back." Atticus laughed at her scandalized gasp.

_I'm not going to go flying around Unova in an old sheet and nothing else!_

"I think you could pull it off." The Medium ran ahead again to avoid her now that she could actually knock him down.

_I'm so getting a pair of gloves made at least. Not being able to touch things sucks! I can't even use Pokeballs or the Pokedex._

"Next you'll be asking me to petition for a Sylph Scope for every trainer, so you won't have to rely on me at all." Atticus grumbled.

_Shush you. You know I adore you. Girls love boys who catch Pokemon for them, and buy them expensive clothing. I'm not really serious about my complaining._

"I know." Looking over with a grin he reached out and yanked the cloak, causing her to squawk loudly as she was pulled to the ground. "It works both ways you know."

_What will I do for clasps and buttons and stuff? Since most things can't fade out I doubt most metals can even attach to the fabric._

_ "_There's a guide in here to working with the cloth. I'll need to make scissors and buttons out of Spooky Plate." Atticus said, patting the book.

_Let me guess, that's also rare and expensive?_

"Quite."

_Did I mention how awesome you are?_

"Let's just go. I want to make camp near White Forest, and be well rested before going into town."

O~O~O~O~O

That night Atticus sat near the campfire, meticulously painting small symbols on a paper tag. There was an art to it, he realized, that likely wouldn't come for quite some time, despite all of the instructions in the big book of ghosts.

Just as Aura was tied to physical energies, and Psychic energy was all mental, Ghost energy came entirely from spiritual force. It made things complicated, as anyone could tell you how difficult it was to sort out emotions.

When they talked about Shuppet, in the Pokedex it mentioned they feed on grudges. In truth it was more accurate to say they fed on feelings of anger, envy, greed, jealousy, or hatred. There wasn't one single source of food for them. Any kind of negative emotion could feed a ghost. It was like how some Pokemon were herbivores, some were carnivores, some were omnivores. Some ate rocks and minerals, some at electricity, some got their energy directly from the sun. Some ghosts ate fear, some ghosts ate hatred.

Perhaps, if he was getting philosophical, the reason there were no ghosts that ate love and tolerance and happiness, was there simply wasn't enough food for them in the world.

_What's on your mind? _Emily asked, floating down to rest beside him. The cloth around her gave her enough presence to actually rest against the ground when she wasn't focusing on phasing through it.

"Do you resent it? Being forced to have a team of only Ghost-types?"

She took a moment to think about it. _I had it all planned out. I wrote out all the best idea's I'd ever come up with. Which paths to take, which Pokemon to catch. Which gyms to battle and in which order and using which Pokemon. But things change._

"You died..." Atticus whispered, looking down at the crackling embers in the fire pit.

_Not just that. Things changed because you're here with me. I feel bound to you, like I can't go too far from where you are. But at the same time I feel free. Like I don't need plans, or maps, or any sort of guide to how I'll do things. Having you with me changed everything._

"So you don't mind having only Ghost-types for company?"

_Nah. When the disquiet doesn't affect you, they're kind of adorable. Plus they're a lot of fun to train. It's like they're perpetually children._

"Well, think about it. Every living thing grows up, needs to hunt for food, find a mate, settle down, have a family, raise their family, etc. etc. What do ghosts do? Hunting for them is either scaring people or loitering around houses for food. They live incredibly long lives, and reproduce on a whim. When you don't fear death, there's no incentive to grow up."

_So they're essentially children forever. That explains a lot. Especially when they take their jokes too far and someone gets hurt. They don't understand our fear of death, just that it's a good source of food._

Glancing across at his friend Atticus noticed her far off expression. "What's wrong?"

_Just thinking... About children._

"Ah... I'm sorry." What else was there to say about something like that? Hexen floated over, sensing the mood, and Emily absently stroked the Pokemon's hair. "Did you want kids?"

_Not till I was much older. I wanted to travel the world, win a few championships, make our town famous. Then return home to settle down, possibly marry the idiot I grew up with, have a few kids and let them grow up alongside my team. I could picture a daughter chasing my Ninetails around the living room._

"I guess dreams can die as easily as people."

_Easier. I'm still here. My children never will be._

Atticus threw his arm around the girl, pulling her close so that she could lay her head on his shoulder. It was hard to tell, with her being perpetually soaked, but he swore he saw her crying.

_It gets hard sometimes, to see the light at the end of the tunnel. To remind myself why I'm still here. I can't imagine how awful it must be for spirits that don't have any purpose, to just wander aimlessly about the world. They must go mad._

"They often do."

_Promise me you won't let that happen to me?_

"Of course. Some of your dreams are gone, but there's more still left behind. We'll make it through this, no matter how hard it gets for both of us." They sat in silence for quite some time. The only sound the crackle of the fire, and the occasional giggle or shriek from their Pokemon in the distance. Eventually Atticus began to yawn, and Emily forced him to sleep.

_I'm going to go look for a Ghastly. We should be close enough to White Forest by now. Having four Pokemon will help._

"M'kay." The Medium muttered, half asleep in the warmth of his sleeping bag. The now familiar icy sensation in his lips returned, and he fell asleep with a smile.

That night he did not dream of foreboding sleepy villages on the horizon, nor the horrors that laid within. Instead he dreamt of Emily, in an empty void filled with points of light, wearing a gothic black dress made of Reaper Cloth, and matching elbow length gloves. In his dream they danced together in that void, to a tune both beautiful and sad, until the last light winked out in the distance, and he awoke to the sound of chirping birds.


	5. Chapter 5

_So, you ready to do this?_

"Yeah, it should be just like in school, when I was staying below the radar."

_How did you do that anyways? I never understood how you always knew what was going on without anyone realizing it. I figured it had something to do with ghosts._

"Don't be silly, I can't speak Pokemon, so they wouldn't make good spies. The trick is to act oblivious."

_Oblivious?_

"Pretend you're a Slowpoke. Ignore any and all subtext. Do stuff that annoys them, but don't give any indication that you know it annoys them. Just keep upbeat about everything and eventually they write you off as harmless. After that they're comfortable talking around you because they don't think you even understand what they're saying."

_Seriously? I never would have guessed._

"Anyways, how's that Ghastly you caught? Will he be ready to fight if we need him?"

_Nox? Yeah, he's pretty strong, and quiet too, unlike some of our Pokemon. He's got a real knack for Hypnosis too._

"Yeah? Well I can see how that will be useful. Anyways, it's the afternoon now, so I'll take a quick look around town, and then hit the Pokemon Center. That's where they'll likely hang out. More than likely they'll approach me, if they don't... Well either way, you take the night to scout things out."

_Right, right. But if we don't find anything we can reasonably do to help the situation, we're leaving. Got that? Discretion is key._

"Tell that to your Pokemon. For ghosts they're kind of flashy."

_We've been working on it._

O~O~O~O~O

White Forest was a quiet town. It always had been, as one of the smallest towns in Unova, home to less than fifty people as permanent residents. Today, however, the quiet seemed to be the eerie, unnatural sort, that left a tense atmosphere in its wake. The road in to the main street was dirt, and it wove between grand fields of tall grass and wildflowers, towards a series of old wooden buildings. In the distance, between massive ancient-looking trees, Atticus could spy the occasional house.

The main street held everything the locals and passing trainers could need. A small general store advertized fair prices on camping gear. A market place and butcher provided fresh, local food. There was a hardware store, a post office, and even an cinema, advertising a movie from five years ago.

Atticus trudged along the path in silence, ignoring the atmosphere and the odd looks shot at him from the windows. It felt like being in an old western movie. He imagined he could hear the sound of spurs clicking against the ground as he walked, and resisted the urge to bring his hands to his hips around the empty Pokeballs.

Eventually he stepped into the general store, moving to the back to grab a cold soda from a fridge. He spotted several kids around his age loitering about, pretending to read magazines or chat with each other while eyeing him up. Remaining oblivious, he strode over to the counter to pay.

"Just passing through?" The cashier, a worn out looking old man, asked.

"Yep, that's the plan. 'Course, it'd be cool to pick up a few Pokemon while I'm here." Atticus said, sipping his soda.

"Ah, a trainer then. You should move along quickly, no need to stick around a little town like this right?"

"I suppose not. I'll probably catch what I can tomorrow morning, and be on my way around lunch time." The boy shrugged, ignoring the curious looks from the other kids.

"What are you looking to catch?" One of them, a girl with brown hair in several ponytails, asked.

"Oh all sorts of things. I hear they've got all sorts of little baby Pokemon around here that'll grow into big old powerhouses." Atticus shrugged. "Right now I could use a bit of anything to round out my team."

"What are you carrying right now?" A boy, a few years younger than himself, asked, peering at Atticus's belt curiously.

"Pretty much anything I could catch on route 14. I'm just starting out, and I'm from a Podunk little village like this one, only with less Pokemon." Atticus shrugged again, technically not lying about his team.

"You should probably box them then, and start with a well balanced team from 'round here." The boy said, which was actually sound advice.

"Good idea. Even a Togepi would be a welcome addition to my team. Raise it up to a Togekiss and give it Thunderwave and Air Cutter, that'll piss off more than a few trainers." He laughed, surprised when a few of the kids laughed along, genuinely understanding what he was talking about.

"You know a lot about Pokemon." The girl from before commented, giving him a suspicious look.

"Well, I don't know much about a lot of things, but Pokemon stuff always seemed to come easy. Mom always said I could list Flying-types by flight speed, but can't multiply single digit numbers without a calculator." Atticus joked, getting a few more laughs from the group.

"C'mon, we're all headed to the Center for dinner. You should join us." The girl invited, a look suggesting it wasn't an invitation he could refuse.

"Sure thing, I was getting a bit peckish myself." He nodded, deliberately missing the undertones. Somewhere in the background he heard Emily giggle. 'Oblivious' indeed.

O~O~O~O~O

The Pokemon Center was noticeably crowded for such a small town. Including the three kids he walked in with there were at least fourteen trainers in the cafeteria, eating dinner or watching the news. Atticus made a beeline for the food, ignoring the looks of exasperation from his escorts, and flopped down at a random table to eat dinner.

Emily giggled even harder at the bemused stares from the people occupying the table before him.

"_We're coming to you from Goldenrod Hospital where Gym Leader Whitney has reportedly woken up. As you may know, Whitney, the leader of a Normal-type gym Johto, was attacked a week ago by members of the Purist movement for her continued denouncement of their actions. Whitney is expected to make a full recovery over the next few days, and has stated that she plans to resume her duties as a Gym Leader. She has stated that she plans on banning any and all trainers that display the Purist's symbol from competing in her Gym, much like Gym Leaders Sabrina and Morty already have. Several trainers that serve under Whitney remain in critical condition, the police have no suspects at the moment."_

"Hey, Whitney's a Normal-trainer right? How come she was attacked?" Atticus asked out loud, scratching his head absently while staring at the TV.

"Don't you listen?" The girl from earlier sat down next to him with a thud. "She's the closest representation we've got within the league, and she still shuts us down publicly. She obviously sympathizes with those freaks."

"Heh, at least Norman is stayin' neutral. Can't risk having his precious little daughter caught up in all this... Unpleasantness." The boy from earlier said, flopping down into an empty seat.

Atticus pretended to be staring off into space, while mentally counting to ten. 'No suspects? Seriously? What are the police even doing these days? There's been dozens of disappearances around here from what I've heard, and the most I get as a warning is 'you shouldn't stick around long?'

"What's all this Purist stuff about anyways? I know Gym battles are a big deal and all, but that seems like a lot to go through just to get a badge." He said, once more digging into his food.

"Are you nuts? They didn't do that to Whitney for a badge!" The girl looked like she was about to pull her hair out. It always was kind of fun doing this sort of thing. "You really don't know anything about Purists? What about Aura, or Empaths, or Mediums?"

"Mediums?" He asked, getting a couple of nods from the others at the table. "They're alright, I usually prefer them smaller though, and I know some guys like them large."

The collective facevault was priceless, and he had to work hard to not snicker and blow his cover. One of the guys at the table, a big guy who hadn't spoken a word so far gave a booming laugh and held his hand out for a hi-five. Atticus merely held his on hand out and shook it. "Atticus, how do ya do?"

A low rumbling chuckle emerged from the boy as he shook his head and the hand. "James. Nice to meet you. The girl is Jill, and the boy is Tommy."

"Ugh, haven't you ever met anyone who could do weird things? Things no human should be able to do?" Jill seemed really bent on persuading him.

"Sure I have. There was this girl in my class growing up..." He trailed off, waiting for them all to lean in to hear. "She could put her leg behind her head, while standing up! It was crazy!"

The collective groan was music to his ears. "Right well... The gist of it is, Psychic, Dark, Fighting and Ghost type Pokemon have special powers right? Well, there are some people out there who, one way or another, have similar powers."

"Wow, you mean like, being able to turn invisible, and sneak into the girls locker room?" Atticus asked, sounding enthusiastic. It got the predictable tic from the girl, and laughs from the guys.

"Not those kinds of powers! It happens with other types of Pokemon too. Humans get too close to their Pokemon, and then they start to change, slowly becoming less human." She explained, as if she was telling a Ghost story. He almost expected to hear a thunderclap in the background.

"Those kinds of people, they're using their powers to take over, becoming Gym Leaders and Champions, taking over the government. They're infiltrating all walks of life, pretending to be normal humans to catch us off guard. They're spreading, reproducing and trying to convince normal people that they are harmless. But they aren't harmless! Normal people are meant to rule the world, not half-breeds and freaks."

Atticus waited patiently through her rant, blinking at appropriate times, and staring at her the rest of it. "So uh... How do you tell if someone isn't normal?"

"It can be tricky, they've started to hide, now that they know we're on to them. But you can usually figure it out if you look close enough. See, Half-breeds aren't really people, they're just really smart animals that look like people. They always slip up eventually. Usually when a new trainer passes through here we invite them to sit with us and throw a big bash, showing off our own 'special talents', trying to out-do one another. Eventually the new trainer tries to show us up, and we find out if they're not what they say they are." Tommy said, whispering as if everyone in the room didn't know.

"Ohhhhhh... Hey wait, what about me?" Atticus asked.

"Please... As if you could possibly hide anything from us." The girl scoffed, and the rest of the table laughed.

"Yeah, what if he's part Whiscash, and has to roll in the mud every few hours?" Tommy joked.

"Or part Politoed, and he's covered in a thin layer of slime." James added, a big booming laugh following after.

"Oooooo I see dead people! Oooooo!" Atticus said, waving his hands towards the girl.

"Knock it off guys, you see my point. Honestly he might be part Slowpoke, being a trainer and not knowing there's a revolution going on." She scoffed, leaning back in her chair.

"So you guys are like, Team Lava or something?" Atticus asked, once they'd all settled down.

"It's 'Magma', and those losers failed because they relied on a Pokemon to fulfill their goals. We're saving the human race from being wiped out with our own hands." Jill said.

"Ah... but... don't you use Pokemon?"

"Well... Yeah, but we do it differently. We don't become 'friends' with our Pokemon." Jill said.

"Yeah, we don't 'bond' with them, the way those Pokemon fuckers do." Tommy snorted.

"We Master them, rather than Train them. We make them far stronger that way than any of those pansies that treat them like people."

"Ah, maybe my team could use a program like that. They have trouble fighting Pidoves." That got a few chuckles from the group.

"We're having a meeting tomorrow night, sort of an initiation for new members. You're welcome to join if you're still around." James suggested.

"What's all this about inviting strangers to meetings?" A new guy had appeared, causing everyone at the table to immediately shut up.

"Hey there, I'm Atticus." He said, smiling widely at the man. He was about eighteen, well built and dressed in a trench coat, black toque, and fingerless gloves. Everything about him said he wouldn't put up with the 'idiot' routine. 'All the better to sell it. If I was acting I'd know when to quit.'

"Ben. I'm the boss around here. What have I told you about talking to people I haven't screened?" He said, glaring at those at the table, who all looked down in shame.

"But boss! He's harmless, I mean the kid didn't even know what the Purist movement was until we drilled it into his head. There's no way he's one of those Half-breeds, he'd be dead by now if he was." Jill said, shutting up after getting a hard glare from the man.

Ben turned, making eye contact with a girl behind him. She seemed to wither under his gaze and shake her head softly. The mood immediately shifted, and those at the table let out a collective breath. "Sorry 'bout that. Just making sure and all, ya know?"

"Ah, not really?" Atticus replied, getting small chuckles from the group as the older boy sat down.

"Sit." The man ordered, and the girl knelt to the ground at his side. "The Half-breeds. They're a tricky bunch, and they know how to hide in plain sight. So I figure, what better way to find them than with one of their own. As... Disgusting as Miko here is, her abilities make it really easy to find others like her. We keep her on a very short leash, don't worry."

"Whoa, has she got like X-ray vision?" He asked, bending over to look at the girl. She looked up at him and locked eyes, mouthing the words 'Help me', before looking back down at the ground. The group gave a small chuckle.

"She's an empath. She can sense feelings. Not a full blown mind-reading spoon-bender, but she can pick up on those that are scared of us. That's usually the first warning sign that things aren't what they appear." Ben explained.

"Freaky..." Atticus said, still staring at the girl. The other kids just nodded along.

"Anyways, we're supposed to be keeping a low profile. Some idiots about a week ago attacked a local girl, a Pokemon fucker that Miko picked out a few months ago. We weren't going to go after her 'till she left on her own, to keep the town off our backs, but they jumped the gun and she ran for the hills. That's why we have this whole initiation thing now, to try and judge who we let in on our group." Ben explained.

"Ah, sounds cool. Do all Purists have to do it?" Atticus asked.

"Only the ones who are actually in on the revolution, rather than just supporting from the sidelines. I'm in charge of the White Forest operation, which isn't really much at this point in time. Just general recruiting while thinning out the number of Half-breed trainers on the road." Ben said.

"So if I go through the initiation I have to stay here?"

"Nah, you just get an ID tag, so that you can join up with other groups along the road. It looks exactly like the necklaces you see everywhere, except there's a small barcode along the back, see? We can scan it, and look up info on you." Tommy said, showing his to Atticus.

"That's really clever."

"You would think so." Jill scoffed. "Are we really going to let this Slowpoke join? I'm not even sure he knows which end of the Pokedex to point at a Pokemon."

"Every able bodied normal gets a chance Jill. There's enough work to go around. The first phase of the initiation is tomorrow night, we'll pick you up out front of the Pokemon center at eight." Ben said, standing back up. "There's one other newbie who will be taking it, so I've got to prepare. Tommy, be a gentleman and escort our 'pet' home."

Tommy rose from his seat, leveling his best glare down at Miko who stood and followed. The group shuffled off out the door, leaving Atticus alone at his table.

_I'm going to follow Miko, you go up to the room and check for bugs._

'Check for bugs? Seriously? What kind of operation does she think these kids are running?', with a sigh, Atticus rose from his seat and wandered over to the front desk to reserve a room. Deciding he wasn't tired, he opted instead to walk around the village again. He had them all believing he was some sort of idiot, wandering wasn't that weird was it?

The police station was at the far end of the main street of the village. It was a small building, with only one officer present and a holding cell in the back, probably more than enough to serve the town in the past. On the front window of the building several dozen missing persons forms were posted, giving pictures and information on a large number of people.

There was a trend, barely noticeable but certainly present. Almost all of them were trainers, around his age and passing through the area. There was a slight preference towards females, only by about a 10% margin though. A good number of them had teams focused around Psychic, Fighting, Ghost, or Dark types. Less commonly there were several that had type based teams of other types, like Water or Fire.

A few had a single Pokemon that was either alone, or noticeably stronger than others in the group, almost all of them opposite gender from their trainer. And at least three pairs of trainers went missing at the same time, all of similar gender.

Rubbing his nose he glanced over at the opposite window, where a wanted poster hung. "Reward for information leading to the arrest of 'Nevermore'."

"You have anything?" A stern voice called from the doorway. A young woman stood there in a police officer's uniform.

"You aren't wearing a Purist badge, why do you care about this guy?"

The officer seemed to bristle at the comment. "He's a murderer. He's killed at least fifteen people in the last few months."

"Look around, see that wall? There are people this town who've killed more, in total. You don't really seem to care. Maybe because they aren't 'normal', like the kind Nevermore kills."

"Are you saying I'm biased? That I look the other way because I want those kids to die?" She seemed genuinely offended by the suggestion. "I'm doing the best I can, but those kids go missing, and nobody finds the bodies. We don't even know for sure they're dead."

"Then you don't use your eyes and ears. There are kids sitting in the Pokemon Center, laughing and joking about killing them. Acting like those kids are less than human, and they deserve it! And you sit here looking for information on the only guy who's actually _doing_ something! Those kids, they're just recruiting right now. That body count that's amassed on your watch is because they are bored. There's a revolution coming, and the death total is going to soar. At least Nevermore is looking out for the innocent."

"Nevermore is a vigilante, a sociopath, and a murderer." The officer argued, regaining her composure.

"At least he's trying to help the innocent. What have you done lately? You're paid to protect those kids for Arceus' sake. He does it for free, and he does a better job. The revolution is coming, I just... know that it is. Like the spirit world is banging its knives and forks on the dining room table. People are going to die, the only question is, how many, and from which side?"

"Those kids in the Pokemon center are all talk. I've investigated the rumors." The officer said, scoffing at the odd boy's prediction.

"Tell that to them." Atticus said, gesturing to the wall of faces as he turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!" The officer called, losing the boy as he entered an alleyways.

O~O~O~O~O

_There you are! I've been looking for you._

"I've just been wandering around town. It's a lot to take in you know? This thing is way bigger than I ever than I imagined. They're organized, strong enough to take down Gym Leaders, and they span the entire world. You heard them, those kids think that what they're doing is fine, because the people they rape, torture and murder aren't really 'people'. That sort of thinking lead to... I don't even want to think about it. And worst of all is nobody seems to be taking it seriously." Atticus said, slumping against the wall.

"I know you don't want to kill anyone. I agree with you, that we should avoid just indiscriminately killing any Purist we come across, or we'd be no better than them. I'd rather not leave a trail of bodies across Unova like Poe is. Still... this is just how it starts. I can already picture it, they start with Psychics, Aura users, Mediums. The rest of the world sits back because there are so few of them. Or join in because they fear them too. Once they're all gone, the target changes, suddenly it's Fire types, or Water types and their trainers. Next the Grass types have to go, they're causing all of the trouble. Soon only 'normal' people remain, all treating their Pokemon like mindless beasts. Eliminating any sort of self expression from people and Pokemon. 'Till we may as well just all be Dittos."

_What do we do then? How do we stop something like this?_

"We do what we've been doing. We travel, we catch Pokemon, we train them to be strong. We do what we can for those along the way, both helping people like us, and meddling in Purist plans when we can. When the storm finally hits, and the civil war begins, we'll be ready to fight for the right side."

_You're right. That is where it's heading isn't it? A civil war... There isn't any one region that's entirely black or white. I wish we could stop it before it even began, but we don't even know who's pulling the strings. This is actually worse than some megalomaniac trying to control a legendary Pokemon isn't it?_

"Anyways. What did you find out about our lovely Empath?"

_They're keeping her locked inside of her own house. I don't know where her family is but... she's the only one living there. There's only one guard with her, but she hasn't tried to escape. Are we really going to help her? She's been selling trainers out to be killed by these people._

"She hasn't sold me out yet, at least I don't think she has. We'll go talk to her, and find out what's up... We'll see if she's worth saving."

O~O~O~O~O

The house they were keeping her in was a solitary cabin at the edge of the woods, guarded, just as Emily said, by a single boy. Atticus approached from the forest, skirting along the edge from well out of sight of the guard.

_Alright super spy? How are we going to pull this off?_

"Come now, we're both the infiltration experts here, I'm sure you have a few ideas."

_Oh, I do. I just want to know how you'd do it._

"Easiest way then. Send Nox over to hypnotize him, and 'suggest' that he ignore any actions taken by the next person he sees for the remainder of the night."

_Hmm, clever, I like it. Hear that Nox? Go get him!_ The little ball of gas floated out into the open, coming down in front of the guard. A soft murmuring could be heard on the wind as the Ghost gradually faded into view, staring at the human for a few moments. Taking a deep breath, Atticus steeled his nerves and stepped out into view, breathing a sigh of relief as the boy continued to look straight ahead.

Emboldened by their success, Atticus marched right up to the door and opened it, stepping inside of the small cabin and shutting the door behind him. The guard didn't even flinch at the noise.

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" The Medium called, hearing movement from upstairs.

"Come in." A soft voice carried from upstairs.

"Miko?" Atticus asked, pushing open the door to her bedroom. It was pink, much like the kimono she dressed in, and there were various Psychic type Pokemon plushies littering the floor. The girl nodded, still looking down at the floor.

"I guess... you were expecting me?" He asked, trying to not to spook the girl.

"I... I hoped perhaps you'd be able... to help her." She whispered.

"Help who?" Atticus asked, moving to sit down next to the girl.

"Selene. They took her away from me. They said they'd give her back if I caught enough trainers for them."

"But it's never enough is it?" Atticus asked, causing the girl to start to cry.

He always felt awful around crying girls, never really knowing what to do in situations like that. Emily wasn't really one to cry a lot growing up. Usually when she did it was because she'd hurt herself, and he'd just patch her up and she'd stop. Emotional pain was something far removed from what he was used to dealing with. Luckily Miko's empathic abilities seemed to kick in, and she stopped sobbing, mumbling an apology.

"Who is Selene? Where did they take her? Maybe I can get her back?" he suggested.

"Selene is... She's my... Kirlia." Miko mumbled, looking away with a bush.

"Ah... you two are... close?" The Medium suggested, getting an embarrassed nod from the girl. "An empath who loves a Pokemon. It's a miracle they haven't killed you yet. Alright, I'll have my friends scour the town for your Kirlia, and we'll bust her out."

"They'll know something is wrong, if you disappear suddenly." Miko cautioned. "I can't help you out until I know she's safe... I'm sorry but..."

"I understand. They've got you on a tight leash, like they said. I'll just keep playing along, until Selene is safe, then we can make our great escape. Can you pack a bag? I'll take it with me now, so that we can pick it up on the run." Atticus asked, helping the girl get up and start packing. Pointing out the things she may need.

"The initiation... tomorrow night." She said, drawing his attention away from the task. "It'll likely be something minor, they don't have an 'undesirable' for the real one."

"You mean they... They make you kill someone to get into the club?" Atticus asked, suddenly fighting the urge to vomit.

"If there's more than one initiate they take turns torturing the victim. The one who does the best job gets to make the kill... They don't... They don't rape the 'Half-breeds' or Pokemon F-... Lovers... Ben says it's because they're unclean. But they will with gay trainers they find. They act like it 'fixes' them."

"That's... Thank you... for telling me this. I need to know what I'm getting into, or I may lose my cool when I find out first hand." Atticus said, trying to control the sudden surge of anger and revulsion.

"Jill is the worst. The rest of them do it out of warped devotion to their cause, or righteous fury. She's just sadistic. I can feel the emotions that come off her when she's torturing or... or violating people. I know what I've done is unforgivable... I should have just let them kill me instead of offering up others in sacrifice."

"Miko!" Atticus barked, cutting off the girl's rambling. "Shut up! You're still alive, they aren't. There isn't anything that will change that now. If you want to make amends, then get up, move on, and make a difference down the road. They were finding victims before they started using you, there's no way of knowing how many they'd have found without your help. All you need to know is that it's those monsters who did the killing."

"Now. We're going to find Selene. You know she's alive right?" Atticus said, trying to fill himself with confidence.

"I can still feel our bond." Miko said. "It's the only thing that keeps me going most days, and they know it."

"We'll find her and bust her out of wherever they're holding her. Then I'm going to do... something... about Ben and his gang. Then we're going to get the hell out of this town, and keep moving forward. Are you with me?"

"I'm with you. I'm sick of being their pet."

"Good. Just keep up the act for another day, I'll let you know when she's safe by saying 'The Moon is Full'. After that, all hell's going to break lose, so if we get separated, head for route 13. Your bags will be waiting for us."

"Right. Thank you, for believing in me. I'm not even sure if I deserve this chance." Miko said, looking at the ground again. "If it was just my life I wouldn't have held on so long."

"But when there's love involved, we all make crazy decisions. I can't tell you that those dead trainers would understand, or their families. But I do. People do great and terrible things for love. I'm not the right person to judge."

Atticus left the cabin well after the sun had gone down, and rejoined his ghostly companions in the woods. "Right. We have a plan. Now we just need to find a way to pull it off."


	6. Chapter 6

Atticus stood before the mirror in his room at the Pokemon center, taking in his appearance for the first time since he'd left on this journey. His skin still possessed an unhealthy sort of pallor, his eyelids still sunken and darkened, drawing attention away from his brown almost-lifeless eyes. Brown hair hung messily down over his forehead, throwing his entire visage into slight shadow. He looked, for lack of a better word, haunted. As if he'd seen more in his life than most people ever would in a lifetime. In a sense that was correct.

Tonight was the night that he'd finally have to either put up or shut up about this Purist business. Too many people out there were willing to talk about how 'awful and terrible' the movement was, but when push came to shove they'd merely watch as people died around them. It would be dangerous, he'd been reminded over a dozen times already. Playing spy was always a risky move, and if things went bad he'd be right in the middle of it.

Still... Taking a step, even a small one, in the right direction was the right thing to do.

Emily hadn't returned yet, presumably she was still searching for the Kirlia, Selene. If she had found her, she'd likely stake out the place, waiting for the right time to strike. It was up to Atticus to play along with the initiation, collect whatever information he could, and if necessary, be the distraction. Dimly he wished Emily had left one or two of the Ghosts with him, for security, but there was no time left to worry.

Pulling on his hiking boots, and wrapping himself in his old jacket, Atticus left his room. The sun was setting, and his new 'friends' would be waiting.

O~O~O~O~O

_It figures, that they would hide her here._ Emily floated around the perimeter of a small cabin near the edge of the village. The Purists, apparently, had been using it as a base since their arrival. Selene was kept in the basement, in a cage, and under guard from at least one member at all times.

She'd been there for almost a full day now, and there was never less than four people in the cabin, either sleeping, eating, hanging about or on watch. Sneaking in, of course, would be no problem regardless. Breaking out with a very solid Kirlia was the hard part. At least the little Psychic type was in good condition. Fading bruises suggested she'd been abused at some point in the past, but it seemed the Purists had moved on to more entertaining things.

She picked up movement from the front door, and floated down to investigate. Sure enough the entire entourage of Purists had gathered near the front. Ben, their fearless leader stood before them, seemingly ready to give a speech.

"Alright you lot, listen up. We've got two new recruits to test tonight, I'll be bringing them around later. I'm not so certain of these guys, so we're giving them a little pre-test. If they pass, we'll start bringing them into the group, and eventually give them a shot at their first kill. If they fail... well you all know what happens then."

The group actually laughed, and gave a few cheers at their bosses statement. "Something about that Atticus guy bugs me, so keep an eye on him. He may seem like an idiot, but I don't trust him. If he blows this test, I'm giving him to you Jess."

"Anything you want boss. We all know I'm the best at what I do." The brunette purred, pressing up against the older boy. "I hope he fails though, I'm getting all excited just by thinking about it."

Ben shoved her off of him roughly, following up with a slap that echoed in the quiet night. Jess seemed to moan with the hit, and sat on the ground rubbing her face for a few moments. "Our main goal is to recruit, killing people is just to cover our tracks. The whole lot of you have been getting out of control lately, and I won't have you risking this entire operation because you can't keep it together."

"Y-yes boss." Jess stammered, rising to her feet again. The entire crowd seemed more subdued when he continued.

"Everyone is getting sloppy. I want everyone but Todd to go to the yard tonight. Organize a tournament, it's about time you got back in the habit of training hard. Todd, you're on guard duty tonight, we haven't had an incident yet, but stay sharp. That Kirlia is the only think keeping Miko cooperating, and she's been a large boon to our group."

"And remember. If I find out you touched that Pokemon..." He turned to glare at the boy, about age 17, leaving the rest of the threat unspoken. Jess, however, sized the boy up and licked her lips suggestively. "Well, what are you waiting for? Move it! Tommy, Jess, you're with me. Let's go pick up the rookies."

As soon as the group was gone Todd managed to stop shaking and released three Pokemon. A watchog and Sentret scattered to different points around the cabin, while a Woobat flew up to the eaves to rest. Turning, the trainer returned to the interior of the cabin, content to watch TV.

_Okay guys. We've got three Pokemon and a trainer to take down before we can get Kirlia out. We have to be as quick and quiet as possible, so he doesn't call for backup. Hexen, you take the bat. Bozu, you take Watchog, he looks strong. Nox, you take down Sentret. Ventus, that leaves the trainer for you, just like we discussed okay?_

Getting four nods of agreement, Emily watched as her Pokemon floated into position. _Alright everyone, manifest and wait for my signal... Now!_

The ghosts reacted simultaneously, emerging from the shadows to attack their victims. The Woobat was the first to drop, taken out by a Shadow Sneak followed by an Astonish. It dropped from the roof with a heavy thud, but the other guards were too occupied to notice.

Nox lead with a Hypnosis, causing the Sentret to sway in place, mind fogging over as the suggestive thoughts invaded its mind. The little rodent gave no struggle as poisonous Smog began to fill its lungs, and it soon toppled to the grass unconscious.

Bozu was less discrete, shooting from the shadows with a Sucker Punch. The guard Pokemon stumbled backwards, caught off guard by the sudden attack, and Bozu used the opportunity to knock away the berry it held. Forced on the defensive, and without a trainer to direct it, the Normal type flailed wildly until several more blows to the head took it down. Emily shook her head at the display, for every great thing about her first Ghost Pokemon, subtle he was not.

The four ghosts floated inside to find Ventus, leads wrapped around Todd's neck, hovering several feet off the ground. The trainer was flailing wildly, but as discussed, there was nothing in reach of his arms or legs to find purchase on. As soon as the trainer went limp the Ghost gently lowered him to the floor without a sound.

_Perfect! Well done everyone!_ The Ghosts all beamed with the praise, cheering and posturing as if they had just won some game. _Alright, to the basement, we need to free the Prisoner._

Convincing Bozu that they needed to break the lock off the door took some time. The Ghost couldn't understand why they couldn't just phase through the door, and took great pleasure in demonstrating his skill every time he was asked to hit the lock. Eventually Nox, the most level headed of the group, said something that Bozu took as a challenge. Within seconds the lock clattered to the floor, and the door swung open.

The basement was cold and damp, more a cellar than a part of the Cabin itself. In the far corner sat a rather small cage, with rusted iron bars, and a large padlock on the front. Within the cage sat a small Pokemon, wrapped in a ratty-looking cloth.

_Hey there..._ Emily said, slowly approaching the cage. If the little Pokemon could hear her, it gave no sign, instead continuing to lay unmoving against the back bars. _Damn... Alright, Nox, can you talk to her? Try not to scare her, but tell her we're here to bring her to Miko._

The Gastly materialized, immediately causing the Psychic type Pokemon to look up in fear and begin to shiver. The Ghost murmured a few words, his voice echoing oddly about the room as he spoke, and the caged Pokemon seemed to overcome her fear. Struggling to her feet, the Pokemon, now quite obviously a Kirlia, wandered over to the front of the cage, peering out into the darkness.

The other Ghosts took that as their cue to reveal themselves, Bozu first, then Ventus, and finally a reluctant Hexen. The fear from before came back slightly, in the presence of so many ghosts, but Selene, the Kirlia, managed to remain standing.

_I don't know how to get her out of the cage. The lock looks thicker than the one on the door. Do you think she's strong enough to teleport? Just a few feet out of the cage?_

The Gastly repeated her question, and the Psychic type began to franticly wave her arms and shake her head. _Ask her why not?_ Emily prodded, confused by the behavior. The little green-haired Pokemon replied to the ghost, who gestured at the empty space his trainer occupied. Looking towards Emily the imprisoned Pokemon began to mime a very dramatic death.

_She'll die if she teleports?_ Nox shook his head, gesturing towards the town. _They'll kill Miko, if she tries to escape?_ Getting a hurried nod from all of the Ghosts, Emily twirled in place a moment to think. _Tell her Miko is safe. My friend is with her, and they'll come meet us the moment they know Kirlia has escaped._

That seemed to do the trick. Selene concentrated a moment and there was a brief flash of light. She reappeared a foot outside of the cage, and fell to the ground unconscious, the last of her energy spent. Ventus floated over and grabbed her around the middle, floating up to carry her as the party made their escape.

O~O~O~O~O

Atticus stepped into the cafeteria, peering around for any sign of the Purists from yesterday. The room was largely empty, aside from one kid around his own age sitting at a nearby table scarfing down bowl after bowl of miso instant ramen. "Uh... Hey." Atticus said, calmly approaching the boy.

He was hunched over the table, arm wrapped possessively around his food, wearing a matching red and white baseball hat and jacket, as well as jeans and running shoes. From a glance he seemed taller than Atticus, more muscular too, not that it was hard. He was like a coiled spring, a delicate exterior belying inner strength.

Short blonde hair poked wildly out the baseball cap, clashing slightly with his tanned skin. Atticus coughed quietly, trying to draw the boy's attention. The mysterious trainer's head shot up, revealing a very delicate, almost beautiful face, complete with honey-brown eyes. "Wuzzup?" He mumbled, mouth still full of noodles and broth trailing down his chin. With some effort he managed to swallow what was in his mouth before continuing. "I'm Dan, you here for the Purist thing too?" The voice sounded soft for a boy, but the way he spoke was definitely masculine.

Atticus shook the offered hand, noticing the fingerless gloves the boy wore as well. "Yeah, something like that. You know what we're getting into?" He asked, trying to get a feel for whether or not Dan would be an ally or enemy.

"Heck yeah, it's why I'm loading up on carbs." He gestured to the pile of bowls. "You should eat some too, you look half-dead. I mean you pull it off better than those goth kids but seriously, how can you be a trainer and not have a tan?"

'I pull it off?' Atticus pondered, knowing Emily would be teasing him if she were there. "I do a lot of training at night." He shrugged, taking a seat as well.

"Yeah? A Noctowl at heart huh? Not me, up with the sun and all that." Dan said, sliding another bowl of noodles over.

"Somehow I can just picture you climbing mountains at dawn. Are you always this energetic?"

"Only when I know there's a good fight coming up. Do you think any of those guys are strong?" Dan asked, grinning wildly.

"Eh, Ben has to be, since he's the leader. I hear Jess is sadistic and violent, but really I haven't seen any of their Pokemon since getting here. Which is alright I guess, they haven't asked about mine." Atticus said, shrugging and leaning back into his seat. Shouldn't they be getting picked up around now?

"Yeah, Jess gives me the heebie-jeebies. Her flirting with me is bad enough, but I get the feeling she'd rip out my heart and show it to me ya know?" Dan said, shuddering slightly.

"Yeah, she's one to watch out for. I'm not sure how strong the others are, but if they're part of the main group they must be serious fanatics. I've heard stories about what the initiation process involves." Atticus said, not even needing to fake the nervousness in his voice.

"Yeah well, I'm not too worried about it. Just follow my lead, I'll get you through this in one piece cutie." Dan said, giving him a wink and a smirk.

'Cutie? Is he gay? And he's marching right into a group of Purists? I mean I'm doing something similar but still... Gah, why am I blushing!' The medium's head spun, trying to refocus in the situation. Before he could come up with a retort the doors opened, their escort had arrived.

O~O~O~O~O

They walked for about twenty minutes to the edge of a large clearing, hidden from view of the town by the forest. The trip was done in silence, aside from Dan's occasional whistling, and nobody seemed to notice Atticus leaving a trail of brightly colored candy behind them as he walked. The plan relied on Emily being able to find him once Selene was safe.

When they arrived at the clearing they were treated to a rather impressive sight. About twenty trainers were present, paired off and battling with their Pokemon. Unlike most trainer battles these were no sparring matches, each Pokemon fought tooth and nail, seeking to absolutely crush their opponents. Already several sat off to the sides, injured but receiving disappointed scowls instead of medical attention.

Ben caught Atticus' glance. "We don't suffer weakness in our organization. Coddling and befriending Pokemon like 'Trainers' do is folly. Pokemon are animals, pure and simple. They're beneath us, and we need to treat them like it. In training they push themselves to the limits of their abilities, holding nothing back against their opponents. If we are satisfied, we'll bring them to be healed when the night is done."

They passed an area where a Deerling was facing down a Boldore, and Atticus turned to watch. Delaying the group would be an unintentional bonus to his observations. "Deerling, Take Down!" Fixing a determined look on its face the little grass-normal type charged its opponent, building up an impressive amount of speed.

"Boldore, Endure!" As ordered the large rock Pokemon dug in, taking the blow head on. The Deerling's charge bounced off, cracking the rock but sending the lighter Pokemon to the ground in a heap.

"Deerling, again!" Came the trainer's cry, drawing Atticus' attention back towards the battle just as he turned away. The meek Pokemon rose shakily to its feet, limping forward slowly and then breaking into a run. Once again it built up speed and charged the Rock type Pokemon, again cracking it but injuring itself in the process.

"Again!" Atticus shut his eyes, trying to block out the vision of the adorable little creature breaking itself upon the immovable rock just to please a trainer that would never be satisfied. Pushing down his anger he turned to follow after the group.

"Why doesn't it just use a grass type attack?" Atticus asked, playing up the 'idiot routine' for the sake of his cover.

"It's not about winning. They're trying to break its spirit, turning it into a tool that never hesitates to obey its master." Dan said, his voice noticeably darker after taking in the area around them. The scene repeated over and over, with a certain amount of variation to it. Pokemon were being forced through tasks that would either injure or harm them, pushed well beyond their limits before being allowed to rest. At the far end of the field real battles were taking place, the Pokemon fighting with a ferocity that even wild Pokemon never exhibited.

"As it should be. Pokemon are meant to be tools, pets, subservient to their masters. When we tell them to jump, they don't ask how high, they just jump, praying it's high enough to satisfy us." Ben called over his shoulder, leading the pair to the very back of the clearing where a small hill rose from the ground.

"And it's never enough." Dan muttered, the brim of his hat shadowing his face.

"Gather around everyone. I'm glad to see you've all taken to stepping up your training. Your Pokemon may all be exhausted now, but as time goes by their strength will only flourish. Tonight we have a special occasion, two new 'trainers' who wish to ascend to our prestigious level." A round of applause rose up from the gathered crowd. "Now, since we don't have any fitting sacrifices for their first 'Cleansing', we'll have to put off making them official Purists. Never fear though, we can still make you initiates, so long as you pass a simple test."

Dan clenched his hands into fists, and took a step forward, his voice ringing confidently through the clearing. "What have you got for me?"

"This here..." Ben began, raising a white oval with pink green triangular markings on it over his head. "Is a Pokemon egg. A Ralts egg to be precise." Miko, who had been standing to Ben's side since he had called everyone over, looked up in horror. "Psychic types are one of the biggest problems in our world. They get into the minds of their trainers, and they twist them, turning them into puppets. My question to you, Dan, is... Are you a puppet?"

"I am a slave to nobody." Dan said, voice full of confidence.

"Good. Then call out a Pokemon." Ben said. Jess was at the man's left, grinning widely at the proceedings. Dan unclipped a Pokeball form his belt, and tossed it forward, releasing a Mienfoo.

"Being a Trainer is one thing, but being a Master means rising to a higher level. Your Pokemon probably trust you, they probably respect you after travelling alongside you for quite some time. But I wonder, will they obey you? Even if you order them to do something no Pokemon would ever do? Your challenge, your test, is to make that Pokemon crush the egg."

The crowd went silent, waiting with baited breath for what the Trainer would do. Figuring it was now or never, Atticus made eye contact with Miko, who had retreated to the back of the crowd. Mouthing the password he prayed that the bluff would pay off. Emily should have had more than enough time by now.

"You hear that Mienfoo?" Dan asked, getting a nod from his Pokemon. "Well then..." He paused, reaching up to turn his hat around backwards. "Do it."

Whatever those present were expecting from the command, the explosion of action that followed certainly wasn't it. As soon as the words left the Trainer's mouth the little weasel Pokemon shot forward, landing a solid Mach Punch to the groin of the nearest Purist, followed by a debilitating Jump Kick to the jaw of another. Two more Pokeballs were dropped, revealing a Croagunk and Heracross, that immediately joined the fray, not even waiting for the Purists to call their Pokemon.

Within seconds the Pokemon had seven of the 'Masters' down for the count, the remaining ones were left scrambling to find Pokemon that weren't tired. Miko immediately made a grab for the combat knife on the belt of the Purist before her. By the time he realized what was going on the blade had dug its way into his kidney, dropping the boy to the floor in agony. The Empath darted forward in the wake of the confusion, seeking safety next to Atticus.

"Now you've done it, 'Todd, Kill the fucking Kirlia!'" One of the Purists barked into his Pokegear, fuming when he received no response.

By now several other Pokemon had joined the fray in an attempt to fight back. A Rhyhorn charged past the Fighting Pokemon, intent on taking out the group of Trainers. To everyone's further surprise Dan rushed forward to meet it, grabbing the Rhyhorn around its horn and halting its advance.

"Down!" He yelled, cocking an arm back and striking the Rock type Pokemon in the forehead with an open palm. The beast lurched, staggering to one side as another palm slammed down on it. "Stay! Down!" More and more strikes slammed into the Pokemon, until it finally slumped to the ground unconscious. Turning to face the bewildered trainers, Dan wiped his nose, grinning cockily at the group. "Well? Who's next?"

"So? What's the plan?" Atticus asked, both him and Miko had their backs to the fellow Trainer as the remaining Purist surrounded them.

"This is the plan! Find the Purists, get them all together, beat the stupid out of them!" Dan laughed, cracking his knuckles and sizing up the remaining competition. "Five bucks says none of these mooks lay a finger on me."

"You're insane!" Atticus yelled, looking around franticly for any sign of the Ghost Pokemon.

Dan merely laughed, a loud confident noise, and grinned further. "You're here for the same thing aren't you?"

"Whatever, just keep them off of us, the cavalry is coming." Atticus muttered.

Three more Pokeballs opened ahead of them, and the assortment of Pokemon inside were swept easily by the fearsome Fighting Types that Dan had released. Four more Purists tried to close in, holding sticks, knives or chains. Each one hit the ground with a thud after receiving a vicious beat-down from Dan. Atticus cringed as some of his strikes hit with a sickening crunch.

"Man, don't you guys drink your milk? I hope being murderous psychopaths has good health coverage." The boy taunted, trying to coax more of the Purists into attacking. Seeing none of them willing to attack Dan instead charged recklessly, bowling over two of the remaining opponents and opening up on a third with a flurry of blows. Atticus could barely follow the movements, wishing he had some sort of self defense training so that he could help. Miko cowered behind him, looking about franticly as emotions of fear anger and pain washed over her.

_Sorry I'm late._ A familiar voice rang in his ear, and he felt ethereal arms wrap around him. _You really suck at leaving trails you know that? You're lucky ghosts are good at seeing in the dark._

"I think I've made a new friend." Atticus murmured, gesturing over to Dan as the boy in question found himself surrounded. He ignored the odd look from Miko, figuring he could explain later.

_Better go help out then. Okay! Go for the trainers!_ At her command the Pokemon commenced their spectral assault, Ventus constricting arms and airways, Nox hypnotizing a boy into a sitting duck, Hexen scaring one into flinching, and Bozu knocking a knife from a Purist's hand. Dan quickly took advantage of the sudden distraction, knocking out the remaining humans and jumping back to stand next to his two allies.

"Whew, that was fun! What they lacked in skill they certainly made up for in numbers." Dan said, stretching out as if he'd just finished a warm-up.

"Do you often fight Pokemon barehanded?" Miko asked, fixing the boy with an odd look.

"I'm quite handy with a Bo staff too." He quipped, as the stillness in the night was interrupted by slow clapping. "Ah, I figured you two idiots would have taken off."

"Actually, we were waiting for you to tire yourselves out." Ben called, emerging from the shadows beneath a tree. "So, we've been infiltrated, by a Fighting trainer and a Ghost trainer, looking to rescue the Empath from our clutches hm? I should have guessed. I don't suppose you'd do the honorable thing and face us in a Pokemon battle?" He asked, smirking as Jess stepped forward to stand beside her boss.

"Hell N-" "You're on!" Atticus' reply was cut off by Dan's outburst. The energetic boy jumped forward, cracking his knuckles.

"I'll take the Fighting trainer, he's more my type anyways. I can just picture how beautiful his screams will be." Jess taunted, removing a wicked looking whip from her belt and striding off to an empty section of the clearing.

"Guess that leaves you and me, Ghost boy." Ben grinned, moving in the opposite direction. "This is a Master battle, so you know. We'll be fighting alongside our Pokemon, I hope a shrimp like you puts up a decent fight. None of the rest of your kind have."

_You have one advantage at least, I'll be directing the Pokemon so you don't need to split your attention._

"One Pokemon at a time, but I'll be nice and let you use as many as you've got." Ben taunted, pulling his first Pokeball. "Let's roll, Donphan!"

_Ventus, he's all yours!_ The two Pokemon took to the field, Ben's Donphan stomping the ground in anticipation. If Ventus felt threatened, it didn't show it.

"Miko, Selene is waiting at the arranged location. Get going." Atticus said, preparing himself for the coming battle.

O~O~O~O~O

"So, you know the rules?" Jess taunted, letting her barbed whip uncoil to the floor.

"Honor among monsters, will wonders never cease?" Dan quipped, lowering himself into a fighting stance.

"One Pokemon at a time. We fight alongside of them. Battle's over when you run out of air to scream with." The girl grinned, cracking the whip once. "Go get him Golbat!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Heh, double type advantage huh? Clever little sneak. Let's go Heracross." Both Pokemon emerged to the field, sizing one another up.

"Seriously? A Bug/Fighting Pokemon against a Poison/Flying? You secretly _want_ me to torture you don't you?" Jess teased, licking her lips.

"Oh I just don't think it'd be fair to not give Heracross a work-out. After all, I'm fighting too, and you look like a pushover." Dan mocked, crouching down to prepare to fight. Before him Heracross did the same, flexing and scratching the ground.

"I'll show you a pushover. Golbat, fill that stupid bug full of poison!" The girl ordered, lashing out with her barbed whip. Dan darted forward, rolling under the first lash and maintaining his forward momentum. The bat shot forward, mouth wide and fangs bared. Without orders the Heracross dodged the first swoop, ducked the second and caught the third attack with a devastating counter.

"Smack it down!" Dan called, busy dodging rapid wild lashes from Jess as he watched the battle out of the corner of his eye. The beetle complied, leaping into the air to grab the flying Pokemon by its face. It bit down on the Fighting type's arm, but Heracross ignored the pain, instead spinning once and throwing the poisonous Pokemon into the ground.

"Follow it up with a Bulldoze!" Dan ordered, leaping back as another strike from the whip closed in on him. "Don't let it get away!"

"Golbat! Get out of there and counter with Venoshock!" Jess ordered ,more concerned with winning the fight than her injured Pokemon. The bat rose shakily to its legs, looking up as it collected purple energy in its mouth. The blast was met head on by Heracross slamming hard into the ground like a meteor right on top of it, sending out a wave of force that shook the ground. The dust cleared to reveal a very injured Golbat, incapable of standing, and Heracross looking rather ill from the Poison. Both trainers recalled their Pokemon.

"Stupid move, your Heracross could still fight." Jess grunted, preparing to call her next Pokemon.

"He was poisoned, better to let him rest. I won't need him anymore anyways." Dan taunted, throwing his next Pokemon. "Meinfoo, let's do this." The little bipedal weasel appeared in a flash of light, shadowboxing a few times before focusing on his enemy.

"Gligar!" Jess called, throwing her next ball. "Start off with Sand Tomb!" The flying scorpion took to the air immediately, flying around the clearing at high speeds. Within moments a trail of dust kicked up in his wake, eventually growing into a hurricane of dirt and grit that swept over both Dan and his Pokemon.

"Mienfoo, focus, use Detect to predict where he will be, then hit him with a Jump Kick." Dan quietly ordered, his back facing towards the Pokemon. "Try and bring it down to the ground, then get in close." The little weasel nodded and closed its eyes, taking a low defensive stance as it concentrated.

"Hit and run with a Fury Cutter!" Jess's voice rang out from outside of the raging dust storm. A faint whistle of wind, nearly lost in the din of the whipping dirt, was the only warning the two received. Dan leant back, narrowly avoiding a lethally sharp claw that shot through where he had been a mere second before. Another whistle and a shallow cut appeared across his right forearm when he brought it up to guard. "Keep it up Gligar!"

Meinfoo's eyes shot open, picking out movement in the flow of air around them, locking on to the blurred shadow as it circled its prey. It shot towards them from the left, closing in to strike at the back of Dan's neck. Mere feet away from a fatal blow it's face met the opposing force of the Martial Arts Pokemon's foot. With a cry the flying scorpion fell to the ground and bounced clear of the Sand Tomb, the little Fighting type braced itself and followed through the dying wind.

Dan wasted no time rushing through the wall of sand, quickly located the opposing trainer and closing in on her. If he could knock the girl out then the battle would end right there. With a sudden burst of speed he cleared the gap between them, leaping high to land a solid kick to her head. Inches from contact he was hit with a jarring force that sent him tumbling through the dirt.

Jess grinned sadistically as he straightened himself, a two foot tall pink and grey Pokemon landed nimbly beside her. "You cheated." Dan said, rubbing his chin as he rose to his feet. To his right Meinfoo was still locked in combat against Jess's Gligar.

The girl merely laughed, once again bringing her whip to bear. "I'm not like the rest of these misguided idiots. I don't care about honor, or fairness, or purity. This group is a means to an ends, and the 'ends' in this case, is a fresh supply of victims. To think that these fools praise me for my talents at torture, when in truth I'd turn on them the moment they stopped bringing me prey. And they're so easy to incite as well, a few casual observations, some hushed whispers, and they go frothing at the mouth after whoever strikes my fancy."

"You're sick." Dan muttered, tightening his gloves and drawing another Pokeball. Tensing his body, a blue light began to form around him seeming to augment his physical presence. "I was planning on turning the lot of you in to the cops. But you... I think you need to die."

"An aura user? This is more like it! I wonder what your blood tastes like? Accelgor, Double Team!" The bandage-wrapped Pokemon at her side blurred into action, moving around the clearing at speeds even the martial-artist had trouble keeping up with. Dan jumped backwards to avoid a strike from his left, kicking out with a leg that hit nothing but air as the Bug type sped past.

His remaining Pokeball hit the ground, releasing his Croagunk. The little poison frog took a quick glance around, and pulled a foot-long wooden pipe from his bandages. "Croagunk, not now! We're in the middle of a battle!" Dan yelled, as the frog took a puff from the pipe, peering about curiously. Mienfoo was taking his time battling the Gligar, keeping a fast pace of strikes that kept the flying type off-guard. Jess didn't seem willing to help the Pokemon out, instead using her whip to keep Dan on the defensive.

A disturbance to his right caught the frog's attention, and he leapt to avoid a quick attack from the Accelgor as it sped past. With a surprising display of control the speedy Pokemon turned and jumped after him, intending to knock the Poison type out of the air while it was an easy target. Croagunk took a large puff from the pipe, inflating the poison sacks in his cheeks as he did so. The quick jab from the Accelgor was blocked with the handle of the pipe, and Croagunk exhaled, sending a cloud of toxic purple smoke into the Bug type's face. Coughing, Jess's Pokemon dropped to the ground, losing its momentum.

Croagunk chuckled lightly as the Accelgor attempted to get the smoke from its eyes, coughing from the Poison along the way. With a quick spin of the pipe, an another puff, he blew several large smoke-rings towards the Bug type, letting the Swagger enrage his opponent. Holding up his right hand, and waving his toxic finger in a 'come get me' motion, he Taunted the opponent into attacking.

And attack it did. The Bug type shot across the clearing, its speed lessened by anger, confusion, and poison, and launched into a rapid series of attacks. Croagunk dodged with ease, content to let his opponent continue to injure himself from the poison and confusion, instead charging his hand with energy for a Venoshock. The opening came as Accelgor attempted another quick attack, Croagunk dodged to the side and let the Pokemon shoot past him, chasing after in Pursuit. Catching up to the Bug type at the end of its dash the frog held out its hand, Poking the exhausted enemy with a single finger. The Accelgor writhed under the Venoshock, and then collapsed in a heap.

Content with a job well done, the Poison type flopped to the ground to enjoy a smoke break.

"Well... That's the last of them. Are you going to come quietly now?" Dan asked, facing down an exhausted Jess.

"Oh, I never come quietly darling. This has been fun, we should do it again sometime, although next time you should be good and just die." Jess taunted, reaching slowly to the pouch on her back. "A parting gift for you!" She yelled, throwing a handful of throwing knives towards the boy, and recalling her Pokemon. Without looking back she dropped a smoke bomb and ran for the hills.

"Damn!" Dan grunted, seeing the glint of metal as she drew the knives. Focusing inwards he drew on his years of training, feeling a familiar energy wash over him. A soft blue light shone from him as the knives seemed to slow in the air. Twisting his body just right he managed to avoid the volley, tumbling to the floor and grimacing towards the smoke bomb. Deciding it was better to check on the others, he recalled his Pokemon and turned towards the other side of the field.

O~O~O~O~O

"Donphan! Defense curl!" Ben ordered, already pulling on thick leather gloves. "Show them your Roll Out!"

"Crap." Atticus muttered, seeing the heavy Pokemon curl into a ball and begin revving up.

_Ventus, fly up! Harass it with Gust from a distance!_ Emily ordered. The Balloon Pokemon inflated and rose several feet into the air. With a spin it began generating a strong wind towards the Donphan.

"Ignore it! Go for the trainer!" Ben ordered, grinning at Atticus's shocked expression.

"Double-crap." The Medium flung himself out of the way of the attack, rolling painfully along the ground and staggering to his feet.

_Focus Energy! Then keep up those Gusts!_ The wind picked up, whipping around the clearing and making it hard to keep his footing as Atticus dodged another pass of the rampaging Pokemon. He rose to his feet, only to catch a quick punch to the face from Ben.

"Didn't forget about me did you?" The man taunted, throwing another hook towards the younger boy's face. Atticus managed to dodge the second attack, but a quick punch to the gut sent him sprawling. "Donphan, Magnitude!"

The spinning Pokemon bounced airborne, narrowly missing Ventus as it sped through the air and landed with a deafening crash near Atticus. The force of the impact sent the boy airborne, and he landed in a heap among a clutter of sharp and heavy rocks.

_Now! While it's stopped spinning, use Disable then Constrict!_ Emily ordered, frantic with worry for her friend. Ben didn't even seem to care about the Pokemon battle, focusing entirely on the human he assumed to be giving the orders. The Ghost type Pokemon floated down, wrapping it's leads around the Ground-type's enormous neck and drawing them as tight as it could. The massive Pokemon thrashed wildly, stomping the ground as its air supply was cut off.

"Donphan, grab it and give it a Thunder Fang!" Ben ordered, annoyed by the interference. Powerful teeth began sparking as the Ground type bit down hard on Ventus.

_Ventus! Use Payback!_ Emily called, looking on in horror as Donphan kept up the attack. Ventus struggled valiantly, getting off three of the Dark attacks before finally fading out. The Donphan, no longer constricted, took great gulps of air, but looked no worse for wear.

"Man, I knew I said I'd use three Pokemon for this fight, but you're just too weak." Ben taunted, hoisting the battered Medium up into the air with one arm. "You don't even know how to fight do you? At least that other idiot can hold his own against a few people." He punctuated the trash talk with several heavy blows to Atticus's chest and face, before finally throwing back down against the rocks.

Atticus was numb. The first few hits had hurt, but after that the pain seemed to fade out, along with every other sensation. It was like being wrapped in the Reaper Cloth again, he could feel himself slipping away as more and more blows rained down on him. He tried to reach out to Ben, to grab him as the boy walked away leaving his Pokemon to finish the job, but found his arm wouldn't move right. Looking down he noticed the blood, not just along his arm, but flowing from cuts all over his body.

He looked around. The clearing seemed darker than it should be. Not physically, it was night time after all, but there seemed to be this oppressive feeling that he could almost 'see'. It was the veil, he realized, the barrier between worlds was weaker here, where so many had been murdered. He could feel it, drawing him in as his life slowly left his body, numbing his feelings, his emotions, even his thoughts.

Something moved in the darkness. He couldn't run this time, couldn't throw off the cloak and flee from the living terror. He couldn't even scream as something foreign entered him, filling the emptiness with something unnatural. Slowly, as if uncertain, he rose to his feet.

"Heh, you're tougher than you look. Maybe I should kill you myself after all." Ben said, turning to face him. He paused, taking in the rather haggard looking appearance of the Medium. He looked nearly dead, covered in cuts and bruises, dripping blood upon the ground in large quantities. What disturbed him, was the eyes. They weren't the eyes of a normal person, so bright and full of life and innocence. They weren't even the eyes of those jaded men who'd seen countless deaths in their lives. The eyes were dead, as if every reason for living had vacated the husk that stood before him.

"To the sorrow of all..." Atticus whispered, gazing over at Ben and his Donphan.

_Atticus? What's going on? You feel... weird..._

"Donphan! Crush him!" Ben ordered, unsettled by the sudden surge of _wrongness_ that flooded the clearing. The Pokemon didn't even hesitate, charging head long at Atticus. The boy seemed to shimmer, stepping to the side and holding out a hand as the Pokemon shot past. The Donphan gave a pained cry and collapsed to the ground, and Ben noticed the sickly grey glow about Atticus's hand. "Shadow Claw?"

" Lombre, Escavelier! Get him!" Ben yelled, recalling his injured Pokemon.

_Nox, Hexxen, Bozu! Go help Atticus!_ Emily ordered, disturbed by the sudden change in her friend's behavior.

"Can you see it? The veil is weakened here, by so much death. Can you see them?" Atticus asked, ignoring the appearance of the Pokemon. He couldn't see them. No... That wasn't right. He didn't care. He could see and feel and hear everything, he just refused to acknowledge those senses. Was this what Ghosts felt like? To care so little for the world of the living?

"What are you talking about? See what?" Ben yelled, reaching down for the knife on his belt.

"They can see you. They're calling to you, calling your name. Can you hear them? They won't rest. They refuse to rest. They refuse to rest."

"Shut up!" Ben yelled, swinging with the knife. Atticus leaned backwards, showing no sign of even understanding the danger the sharp metal weapon posed. The blade dragged across his cheek, drawing blood. He didn't feel the pain. It simply wasn't acknowledged. A dangerous habit for someone who wanted to survive, but at the moment self-preservation instincts were also ignored. He'd gone past merely having a foot in the grave, and was losing parts of what defined 'life' as time went on.

"Pain split." Atticus murmured, distantly aware of some of his injuries becoming less severe. Ben staggered backwards from the sudden burst of pain, phantom punches, kicks, and cuts lashing out at him. Atticus bent down, plucking a knife from the grass. "The spirit world is made of the abstract. Those who reside within it are made simply of concepts, ideas given shape. I am reflection."

Drawing the knife high into the air, Atticus drove it down into his left arm, giving no visible reaction to the pain. Ben cried out in pain, grabbing his arm in the same place. "I am all that you are, laid bare before you." Again he stabbed, this time the right leg, and Ben stumbled to the ground. "I am your actions, returned by those who you wronged."

Ben's Pokemon glanced over at their trainer, unsure of how to react to his sudden injuries. Around them the trio of Ghosts floated, keeping them back from the Medium. "Thirty six spirits watch you. Thirty six voices cry out unheard because _you_ silenced them. They can't hurt you, but they can hurt me. Let's suffer together."

To those looking on it made no sense. A wound would appear on both boys in the same place, bleeding a sickly grey on Atticus, but true vibrant blood from Ben. The Medium remained stoic with each attack, while Ben cried out in agony. It picked up speed, more and more injuries accumulating by the second until the thirty-sixth wound left the man screaming on the ground. Undaunted, Atticus raised the knife a final time.

"Come. Let's face oblivion together." He called, holding the blade directly over his heart. Emily had seen enough, and swooped down in front of him, grasping towards his hands. To her surprise she made contact, halting the blade's advance a mere inch from his chest.

_That's enough._ Emily whispered, straining to hold the blade back. Atticus gazed through her, ignoring her presence entirely. He was far gone, so far through the veil that he was more dead than alive. _Atticus that's enough!_ She cried, tugging the knife futilely. Behind her she knew her Pokemon were battling, and likely losing against Ben's stronger team. She'd given orders when Atticus had begun to act strange, Bozu would lead with Will-O-Wisp, Nox would curse both enemies, and Hexen would use Hex as much as possible. Still, her faith was thin that they'd succeed.

_Atticus, please... Please come back to me. It's not your time yet. We still have so much to do... You still have so much to do. I know how it feels. I know how tired you get. How hard it is to care about anything at all, how much you just want to go to sleep and forget it all. But you can hold on, just like I did. You just need to focus on that one thing you can never stop caring about. Find that one point of light in the darkness and hold on to it._

The sounds of battle continued, Atticus still stared through Emily at Ben, who lay bleeding on the floor. He didn't blink, not feeling his eyes dry out. He didn't breath properly, not hearing his body cry out of oxygen. He only pressed with all of his strength to drive the knife into his own heart, and take the wretched soul before him into the afterlife. Emily's words were heard, filed away in the same unused section of his mind like the constant pulses of pain and exhaustion. He didn't care, she was dead, she'd meet him on the other side.

But she couldn't, could she? She couldn't rest in peace until her dreams were fulfilled. Dreams involving him. The spirits around him roared, clawing and tearing futilely at Ben's body as he drifted ever closer into their grasps. He would die soon, on his own. He didn't need to go with him, there was already an abundance of spirits to drag him away.

Emily's grip failed her. Her intangible body was beginning to pass through her friend once more. He was coming back from the brink, but at the same time she could no longer protect him from his own self-destructive impulses. A purple shape joined her in holding his arms, a Haunter grasping the Medium with its new detachable hands. Her Pokemon must have won the fight, and Nox must have evolved. Emily had never felt so proud.

Bozu flew over next, striking Atticus's hands repeatedly with Knock Off to weaken his grip. Slowly the arms gave way, the Medium gradually returning to his senses and the land of the living. The knife dropped to the grass from his now-broken hand, and pain flooded his mind. He gasped, taking in precious air, and coughed as his lungs burned. The ground beckoned, and he toppled forward, spared yet another injury when someone caught the back of his shirt.

"Whoa there cutie, you're looking all kinds of roughed up." A familiar voice rang out. "The heck happened in your fight?"

"Spirit wounds." He muttered, lacking the strength to stand on his own. He felt himself placed gently on the ground. "All the pain, none of the death."

"And your arm and leg? And hand?" Dan asked, looking the boy over. "Those don't look fake."

"Those are real... Long story."

"Right, well. I think Ben is dead. His Pokemon don't seem to care, but I'm sure the cops will. What say we get the heck out of dodge?"

"Route 15. Miko... Waiting." Atticus managed to mutter, the last of his energy leaving him. He fell into a fitful slumber, his mind lost in a feverish haze of pain.

Shrugging, Dan tossed the boy up over his shoulder and took off at a run towards the edge of town. Emily followed unseen, filled with worry over her oldest friend. She'd witnessed the spirits in that clearing striking the boy, and not a single wound looked less than lethal.

As he approached the border to route 15 a young girl ran out to meet him. She was pale skinned and dark haired, a traditional beauty that wouldn't be out of place in a formal kimono among royalty. She was dressed in a loose white shirt and blue Capri pants for travelling, and looking anxious.

"Hey, you're the one Atticus was helping out right?" Dan asked, casting a wary glance at the girl.

"Oh um... Yes, he helped me rescue my Kirlia... There's something seriously _wrong_ with him." She noted with concern, moving closer to the unconscious boy. "There's always been something weird about his emotions, but right now it's much much worse."

"Emotions? Are you a Psychic? He said something about 'Spirit wounds'." Dan said, scratching his head. This kind of supernatural stuff always confused him. "I've got some Potions I can use on some of his wounds, that should at least stop the bleeding."

"Do they even work on Humans?" Miko asked, skeptically.

"Sure, I've been using them my whole life. They aren't as effective, but berries and Potions are better than bandages and time, especially when you have plenty of the former and none of the latter." Dan shrugged. "I've broken my hands enough to know how to fix them, but I'll need time and space to work. The rest of it... I don't know near enough about Ghosts to know what the heck kind of trick he pulled."

"I'm not sure what we can do about it, but he needs to rest." Miko said. "Selene does as well, she hasn't been awake much, but from what I can tell she's been beaten and starved off and on for the past few months."

"Right, well... I really don't think we'd be popular in White Forest right now. Nimbasa City is a good ways away from here though." Dan suggested.

"I've heard rumors of an abandoned house in the hills of route 15. It's a long shot but that's our best hope. If we can't find it, we'll have to make camp." Miko said, placing the Kirlia onto her back gently. "Try to keep an eye on his condition, if it worsens we'll stop for the night."


	8. Chapter 8

Atticus blinked, finding himself floating in an endless sea of darkness. It was cold, empty, it wasn't so a lack of light as it was filled with nothingness.

_Hey..._

Was he falling? He couldn't tell. Which way was up? He couldn't even tell if he was moving.

_Atticus? Can you hear me?_

There was something out there. Moving. Disrupting the natural void around him.

_Please. Come back to me Atticus. I know you can hear me._

A light, a soft shimmer in the distance that he didn't so much see but feel. He _knew_ on some base level that something was there. It resonated somewhere within him, tugging gently on him as he drifted.

_I'm right here. You know where to find me. I'll be waiting._

Slowly, as if a fog was lifting, the world began to return. It started within him, a feeling of warmth returning to his body. He became aware of rough cloth surrounding him, and a musty smell of old blankets. The quiet sounds of creaking wood and the pitter-patter of rain on a roof. His eyes opened, and his vision swam, slowly focusing in to the view of an unfamiliar ceiling.

_Don't move._ A quiet voice ordered when he tried to sit up, the sudden surge of pain encouraged him to obey. A familiar face leaned over him, wet blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to shimmer with life. She gave a small smile, reaching down to brush across his forehead with an icy hand, relieving him of some of his fever.

_I know you can go right through me..._ Emily said, sitting down upon his lap. _But for now, pretend I'm real, and you can't get up while I'm sitting here. We need to have a talk._

"Emily." His voice was cracked from misuse, he wondered absently how long he was out, and how dehydrated he was as a result.

_Don't you Emily me! You nearly died! I can't believe you'd do something so stupid! I don't even know what you did and I can tell it was stupid of you! _

_I could touch you... I could actually grab hold of you... Does that tell you how close you came to death?_

"I know... I'm sorry." Atticus muttered, feeling ashamed for putting her through what he did. "I just... I lost control. I became a monster."

_You're not a monster Atticus._

"But what if I am? You saw it first hand, the things I could do, they aren't natural. It wasn't human! To a normal person they would be horrifying. Perhaps the Purists are right. Perhaps there is no place for me in this world."

_You are wrong! You are not a monster Atticus. I was a normal girl growing up remember? I had no special powers, and I never saw you as anything other than my closest friend. You are a person, just like everyone else, and you deserve all the rights anyone else does. When I saw what you had done I was terrified, but it was fear for your life, not anyone else's._

"I just... I don't think I am normal though. Beyond all this Medium and Ghost nonsense... I wonder sometimes if I do feel emotions, or if I just realize I should feel them, and fill in the blanks."

_What brought this about?_

"When I was dying, I felt myself go numb. I could feel emotions, but they were removed, locked away so that I could acknowledge them and then ignore them. When it all came back I realized that it's not all that different from my day to day life."

_You're not some kind of sociopath, if that's what you're wondering._

"Aren't I? My closest friend is dead, and I never really cried for you. Not even at your funeral. Not even a single tear."

_It's cause I'm not gone. I may be dead, but what have you really 'lost'? I lost a ton, but I try to focus on what I still have left. You? You lost physical contact with me, sort of. If you cried because of every girl you might not ever sleep with, you'd drown yourself in tears._

"Alright, maybe you have a point, but you're still not going to be here forever. This journey will come to an end, and you'll be gone for good."

_Yes, if everything works out and we get our happy ending I'll pass on, like I promised. But that's a big if, and a long way off. You know there are stages to dealing with death in the long term. People who are told they are going to die don't grieve right away, neither do their families and friends. You have a long time to come to terms with my death before I really go anywhere._

A crack of lighting heralded an increase to the rain outside. Finally taking stock of his surroundings properly, Atticus sat up in bed with a groan. "Where are we anyways? I don't remember even making it to route 15."

_That new kid brought you and Miko off the trail on route 15. We're in a supposedly haunted house that a few travelers occasionally use for shelter._

"Supposedly?" The young Medium swung his legs over the edge of the bed, slowly testing out how strong he was.

_We haven't seen any ghosts yet, although it makes no sense that a house like this would still have electricity and running water if nobody was here. Are you sure you should be getting up? You've been out for two days._

"Yeah. The injuries are mostly to my soul. They hurt but I can't really make them worse by moving around. It'll be a long time before I can do something like that again though."

_And it'll be an eternity before you actually _do_ something like that again, right?_

"If I'm in danger of dying anyways, what else can I rely on?" Atticus shrugged, wincing as he rose to his feet.

_All the more reason I'm stepping up the training. It's our Pokemon's job to protect you as my proxy, all of them feel bad for not being strong enough to help you._

"Speaking of the Pokemon, where are they? Where's everyone else as well? They didn't just dump me in a bed and take off did they?"

_The Pokemon are off playing around in the house somewhere, Miko is making dinner, and Dan was supposed to be watching you. That kid get's distracted so easily._

"Right, well, let's go explore then shall we? I need to stretch my legs." He rose to his feet, fumbling about to get clothing on, after realizing he had been stripped down to his boxers. With Emily following alongside him the two explored the house, peering into rooms as they passed.

It was exactly as Emily had described. The house was empty, showing not a single sign of anyone having lived there in years, save for the occasional garbage left behind by trainers using it for shelter. Most rooms had furniture covered in old white sheets, a few rooms had dusty bookshelves, most surprisingly written on computer programming.

The door to the third floor was locked, so the two decided to put off their exploration of it until later. At the end of the hallway they peered into the final room, a grand wide space full of sheet-covered instruments. "Hey! I wonder if they're still in tune?" Atticus asked out loud, stepping into the dusty room. "I haven't played since a few years ago, when Ms. McGreggor moved away."

_We had lessons together after school on Wednesdays, for three years. You were always better than me._

"I wasn't that good, I just had a good ear for music, and you never practiced. Let's see..." Throwing the large sheet off of the piano he coughed at the cloud of dust that rose up into the air. Pressing 'middle C' softly he hummed along with the note. "It's out of tune, but not terribly so. Remember that old duet that we played for the recital?"

_Ugh, how could I forget? It took weeks of practice to get it right._

"Only because you kept bumping my elbow when playing. You never could keep your arms at your sides while playing. C'mon, let's play for old time's sake." The Medium pulled out the bench and sat down, testing a few notes to check on how badly tuned the piano was.

_You're kidding right? I can't touch anything remember?_

"We've been working on it. Just sit for now." Atticus patted the seat next to him, and the ghost floated down to join him. "Alright, place your hands over the keys and close your eyes. You said that I'm anchoring you to this world right?"

_Right. My other friends and family have let go, they have no choice. My Pokemon are all Ghost types by necessity, so they can't really keep me here. You're the only person that gives me purpose. Without purpose no ghost can remain in the world of the living._

"Alright then, focus in your memories. Think back to our piano recital. Do you remember how nervous you were?"

_I remember. My palms were all sweaty, and I kept hyperventilating. Our parents were in the audience, third row on the right side. I started hiccupping right before we were supposed to go out on stage._

"What was it again? B, F-sharp, C-sharp, Hic?"

_Ha ha, laugh it up. We had to restart three times because of my stage fright._

"Remember what I told you though?"

_Close your eyes and imagine that it's just the two of us. Playing only for each other. That and 'Keep your damn elbows to yourself or I'll boot you off the bench.'_

"I was focusing on the first part." Atticus laughed, as the storm continued on outside. "Just remember what you felt when we finally played the song perfectly. Think about all of the emotions, and then press B."

There was a pause for a few long seconds, and then an off-key note rang out, warped by the built-in acoustics of the music room. Emily giggled, looking down at her hands in shock an pressing another key. Her fingers passed through it, and she frowned, trying again to recapture the feeling. "Do you remember the rest?" She nodded, keeping her eyes closed. "Let's play then. Three, two, one..."

Music rang out into the abandoned house, distorted and off rhythm as both old friends tried to once again synchronize to each other after many years. Despite the roughness it possessed a noticeable rhythm, and drew attention from the other residents. Atticus laughed when Emily's icy elbow passed through his arm during the twelfth measure, and she giggled along with him as they continued to play unhindered.

"Well, I must say, even your music is a little bit creepy." A voice called from the doorway, pulling both musicians from their memories. "Wasn't that a duet?"

"I had help." Atticus shrugged, facing the doorway where Dan stood, blocking the light from the hallways. "Were you looking for me?"

"You weren't in bed, I was worried 'till I heard the music. Your hand must be feeling better, your Shuppet had to practically shatter it to get you to drop the knife." The Fighting-type trainer shrugged, gesturing out into the hallway. "You can explain all that over dinner, I think Miko wants to know more as well and you must be hungry."

"Yeah, food sounds good right about now." Atticus agreed, rising to his feet and following the fellow trainer down to the dining room.

O~O~O~O~O

Dinner was quite the spectacle. Like when he had first met him, Dan spent most of the meal hunched over his food protectively, only this time he actually had to spend time fending off constant attacks from his Mienfoo. The two apparently had a fierce rivalry, as Emily explained she'd seen them fighting constantly after arriving at the house. They had boundless energy, and every perceived sleight would set them off, triggering a long drawn-out battle of martial arts that took them all over the house.

It was fascinating to watch as the two duelists crossed chopsticks with skill that would put most swordsmen to shame. The little sticks of wood flashing through the air between the plates, clashing against each other in futile attempts to find weaknesses in the other's guard.

Miko, having shared several meals with the boy already, had the foresight to reserve a portion of the food for herself, Selene, and Atticus. The trio ate at a reserved pace, putting conversation off until the meal was finished. Dan's other Pokemon, while not as violent about their food as the trainer, had equal appetites and together the group ate the vast majority of the meal.

"I'm glad you're up and moving about. When we fixed all of your visible wounds and you still didn't wake up we began to worry." Miko said, placing her chopsticks down on her empty plate.

"Ah, I did something stupid, but I'll recover in time. I'm in no danger anymore, so no need to worry." Atticus said, embarrassed for causing the two any worry.

"What was all that anyways? When I caught up to you it looked like you were about to kill yourself." Dan said, finally realizing there was no food left to fight over.

"It's a bit of a long story, I'll have to start from the beginning if you two want to hear it." Atticus said, fixing the pair with a rather serious look. The two trainers both nodded, figuring they didn't have anything else to do but sit and digest for a bit.

"Right well... I'm a Medium. It runs in my family, we've been protectors of our village shrine for generations. I've been able to see ghosts for a very long time, not just Ghost Pokemon but the spirits of people as well."

Dan scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "Ghosts don't exist. Sure Ghost Pokemon do, but everything about them being 'dead Pokemon' is just superstition. They're just Pokemon with supernatural abilities."

"Human spirits normally don't linger long after they die. Usually for a Medium to see one they have to be present at the time of someone's death. My friend, Emily, died about a month or so ago. She's still with me."

Silence. Nobody in the room knew quite how to react to such a statement. "The duet from before..." Dan murmured.

"She was playing the second part. It's her dream to be a Pokemon Champion, so she's training an all Ghost-type team. I'm helping her out by being her bridge to the living world."

"So you're her... Ghost-trainer?" Miko asked, smiling slightly at the joke. She had listened patiently to the explanation so far, showing no outward reaction either way.

"Right. Anyways, normally my abilities are limited to just seeing and speaking to ghosts, not a very big deal."

"So what happened back in White Forest?" Dan asked, impatient with the story.

"There is a taboo among Mediums. It is said that we live with one foot in the grave our whole lives. We can perceive the veil that separates the land of the living from the land of the dead, and that gives us a warped perspective on life and death. What I did back at White Forest was called Channeling, and it's a terribly foolish thing to do." Atticus took a deep breath, knowing that even Emily was listening to the explanation.

"The veil that keeps life and death separate holds beyond it tremendous power. It's this power that Ghost-type Pokemon draw on for many of their attacks. A Medium can theoretically reach across the veil, becoming a conduit for that energy to flow into our world, like a temporary tear in the veil. But the veil doesn't exist in any dimension that we can understand naturally. We can't reach out and touch it, or fly up and reach it, to actually grasp the veil we need to push ourselves to the point that we are almost dead."

"It's easier than it sounds, believe it or not. Mediums can push our spirits to that point while keeping our bodies safe, so we don't need to get stabbed to reach that state of being. The problem is it still feels like dying, we can lose ourselves in the process. Our senses dull, our morality and emotions fade, we lose bits of our humanity by the second while we hold onto the link. One of the biggest risks is for the Channeler is reaching that point where we look at life and see no reason to stay, and merely fall entirely across the veil."

"So it's a trade off then, risking death for a power boost? That doesn't explain what happened though." Dan said, looking quite confused.

"Right. The second, and much stronger risk is 'Possession.' It isn't an actual being taking over the Channeler, but the power that floods them causes them to start thinking like a Ghost. Everything sort of twists around, so that abstract concepts become as clear as the laws of physics, and things like the value of life lose all meaning. I was so willing to kill myself to kill Ben because at that point I didn't appreciate my own life as having any purpose."

"Harsh. So how do you get around to controlling that sort of thing?" Dan asked.

"I don't. It could be months before I heal enough to even try again, and even then I don't want to use that sort of power. The people who do, Mediums who become Channelers, I can't understand them at all."

"This girl that follows you. Emily, was it? Is she here right now?" Miko asked, changing the subject.

"That's right, she's sitting here, on my right." Atticus replied, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you then, Emily. I think you're the one who saved Selene, right? You have my thanks. I suppose I should share my story then?" The quiet girl asked, glancing around. "It's not much of one really. When I was young I found that I had a really good sense for what others were feeling. I could tell if someone was upset, even if they were trying really hard to hide it, and I could tell if someone was happy without even being near them. It grew to the point where if I was feeling an emotion strongly, others around me would pick up on it and start feeling it too. I once nearly caused a riot at school because I was angry.

When I was around eight my parents began fighting. They tried to hide it from me but I could feel what they felt, and I knew it was happening. At that point I felt that if I could only become happy enough, if I could love them enough they'd reflect it at each other and it would save the family. It didn't work. No matter what I tried I couldn't stay happy, I'd cheer up both my parents, but then they'd fight and I'd feel all that anger and sadness. Then that anger and sadness would be pushed back on them, making everything worse. When I was ten my parents split up, my father went to White Forest to live.

Living with my mother wasn't the same anymore. I did my best to help out, to not be a burden now that it was the two of us, and she was working all the time. I learned to cook and clean, always coming home from school right away to be helpful. Still, I was alone for most of the time, which suited me just fine. I was wary of getting close to people, still feeling like I caused my parents to split up. Eventually, on my 11th birthday, my father sent me a Ralts egg.

My mother was hesitant to let me keep her, but I promised to take care of her, like everything else at home. She hatched about a month later, and we bonded instantly. I found that because of my gift, and her Psychic nature we could communicate on a level greater than most people and Pokemon. We became best friends, I taught her everything I could, even going to the internet when she had questions I couldn't answer. She made me a better person, encouraged me to find friends, helped me get over some of my social phobia, and most of all she helped me control my powers.

When I was thirteen she evolved into a Kirlia, and our relationship became... closer. Where before her mindset had been that of a child, now she was more of a teenager like me. Due to how close we had become, it was impossible to hide anything from each other, even if we wanted to. It wasn't long before one night we became intimate. We kept up our relationship in secret for almost a year, until one day my mother came home from work early and found out. She disowned me, giving me just enough money to get to White Forest, where my father was supposed to live. He hadn't contacted us since my eleventh birthday but that didn't seem to bother my mother.

He wasn't there. He hadn't lived there in years. I was stuck in a town I didn't know, with no money or home. I... I abused my powers to get a job and place to live. I went to school when I could, but refused to make friends, for fear of them finding out about Selene and I. Again, we kept up the ruse for a year or so, and then the Purists came. I did my best to stay out of their way, but one night they just showed up at my door and... you know the rest from there."

Again the room filled with silence. Sure, being romantic with a Pokemon was odd, but when he stopped to think about it, Atticus couldn't find much fault in their relationship. Pokemon weren't mindless animals, despite what Purists claimed. They could understand when someone spoke to them, bond with their trainers, display complex ideals like loyalty and bravery. Aside from shape and a language barrier they were practically human themselves.

"So... You're gay then?" Dan asked, nearly causing Atticus to facevault. "What? You and Selene are both girls aren't you? It's hard to tell with Kirlia, even the guys wear skirts, but Selene is a girl's name."

"Y-yes. Selene is a girl." Miko mumbled, Atticus could faintly pick up on her embarrassment.

Dan seemed oblivious. "So, a lesbian Pokemon-loving Psychic. You are so lucky the Purists didn't kill you on the spot."

"I'm not a real Psychic. Empathy doesn't even really count by most standards." Miko replied, still emitting waves of embarrassment.

"You just need to train then. That's why all those Psychics make the pilgrimage to Saffron city and the like, to train their abilities up from being parlor tricks to something useable." Dan shrugged.

"Perhaps she's like me, and doesn't _want_ to gain the full extent of her powers?" Atticus cut in.

"Why wouldn't she? You I can understand, nearly killing yourself doesn't seem like a pleasant way to gain strength, but Psychics don't have that kind of downside do they?"

"They do." Miko interjected. "The step up from Empathy is Telepathy, or Mind Reading. It's kind of a misnomer though. It's not like looking at someone's thoughts like a book, or a computer screen. It's like... Like there are barriers that separate each individual from each other. When you become a Mind Reader it's as if you can tear down barriers between yourself and another, you become a single person, sharing a single mind. They can't feel it because they don't normally have the gift, but your thoughts mix together. You end up thinking everything they are thinking, from current thoughts to past memories, and when it ends you have to somehow call your mind back and reset the barrier. The biggest challenge is retaining your own identity."

"Harsh. Try learning Telekinesis instead, it seems like a useful trick." Dan shrugged.

"Seriously? We both bare all to you and that's all you can say?" Atticus asked, taking the pressure off of Miko for a bit.

"What do you want me to say? Your powers all come with awful prices, it sucks. You want to keep crying about it? Or maybe you can try working towards a goal like everyone else in the world does." Dan said, crossing his arms across his chest defiantly. "You want my life story now? Fine."

"I come from a long line of Aura Adepts, all of us lived and trained in this Dojo far off in seclusion. My father is the current head, and I was his firstborn and supposed to be his heir. My mother died in childbirth, leaving him with just me. When I was two he decided he wasn't going to raise a 'Princess' and started training me. He dragged me all over the world, to the harshest places, for survival training.

I've climbed mountains and fallen off cliffs. I've learned the hard way which berries are safe for humans and which are for Pokemon only. I've nearly lost limbs to frost bite, and broken almost every bone in my body at least once. Along the way my father would constantly challenge me to spar, I'd always lose and he'd always be disappointed. He'd piss off wild Pokemon multiple times my size and make me fight them. I didn't always win, but he never interfered.

Finally, when I was fifteen the trip stopped. He stood in front of me and said 'If you truly wish to learn how to fight, learn from Pokemon, it comes naturally to them. From here you go alone into the world. Catch Fighting-type Pokemon, but only those you can beat with your own body, train alongside them, and come before me when you are ready. That will be our final battle, the only one that really counts.' Then he was gone, leaving me with no money, no clue where to go or what to do. Now, a year later, here I am."

"Harsh." Atticus deadpanned, more for revenge than to be a jerk.

"Whatever, I'm going to stretch my legs. We can decide what to do once the storm stops." Dan said, getting up and leaving the room.

Miko merely pulled Selene into her lap and began brushing the Pokemon's hair, humming a soft tune. "Can you two really communicate?" Atticus asked.

"Language is a complex thing. For humans it's a combination of syllables, pitch, emphasis and body language, most of which comes instinctively. Pokemon communicate on a different level, where syllables play only a minor role." Miko replied, after taking a moment to think. "Miko and I have developed our own language based on emotions. There are hundreds of emotions that we are capable of defining as distinct, so to speak me and Selene just send waves of fluctuating emotions, varying in intensity, and with body language as needed."

"Can you really fake emotions that easily?" Atticus asked, still unsure about his own ability with them.

"Oh no, when we fake emotions to communicate it's quite obvious that they are false. But even then there is an underlying current of what we are truly feeling, which helps us understand one-another." Miko explained.

"Are... Are my emotions real?" Atticus asked, not certain if he wanted the actual answer. He felt Emily's arms wrap around him, and he was grateful of her company.

Miko turned to look at him, as if examining him for something. "You are... removed, from your emotions. It's as if you must consciously choose to embrace them."

"That kind of makes sense. It's said that Ghost-type Pokemon feed on emotions. I think it's more that feeling emotions makes you more 'alive', allowing them to exist more strongly in the world of the living. When they have no more source of emotion, or reason to care, they fade away for good. Since I'm similar to them, I need to feel in order to survive, but pushing emotions aside gets me closer to the veil." Atticus pondered, leaning back to think. After a few minutes of silence, he suddenly rose to his feet. "I'm going to take a walk. There's hot water in this house right? Maybe a shower will help clear my mind."

O~O~O~O~O

The walk did indeed help clear his head. It also got him lost in the rather large building. It took him around ten minutes to find the door to the second floor bathroom from Miko's directions. Lost in thought he didn't bother to knock, merely pushing the door open and stepping inside. A sudden rush of steam snapped him out of his daze, and he glanced up to see Dan, clad only in a towel around the waist. They made eye-contact for a few seconds, Atticus's face growing hotter as his mind put everything together, before the Medium darted out of the room and shut the door.

"T-t-tits!" Atticus yelped, leaning against the wall of the hallway.

"Yes. Tits. They aren't really a big deal honestly, don't you have the internet on your Pokenav?" Dan replied, stepping out of the bathroom still clad only in a towel.

"But... Why? Why do you have breasts?" Atticus stammered, trying not to look at them.

"Hmmm. Maybe because I'm a girl?" Dan deadpanned.

Atticus snapped out of his panic and thought back. True, Dan had never actually mentioned her gender, Atticus had taken it for granted from her clothing and attitude, still...

"My dad never wanted a daughter, and never got a son. So he raised me like this, and it's how I feel comfortable. Honestly, gender doesn't really matter to me a whole lot." The Fighting-type trainer shrugged, scratching her wet hair.

"Daniel, could you please wrap your upper body as well? It's indecent." Miko commented from down the hallway. Dan shrugged sheepishly and covered up.

"You knew? Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Atticus rounded on the Empath.

"I figured you knew, what with the mutual feelings of attraction coming from both of you." Miko replied.

"I am not attracted to this cross-dressing Neanderthal!" Atticus yelled.

"Who are you calling a cross-dressing Neanderthal!" Dan yelled back, pushing the Medium up against the wall.

"Ahh! Neanderthals are so violent!" Atticus mocked.

"Would you two knock it off? You're going to break something, and Atticus is still recovering." Miko called, sighing at once again being forced to be the responsible one.

"Tch. Fine, I'll get out of your way. Have a shower, you smell awful Ghost-boy." Dan muttered, gathering her things from the bathroom and stomping away.

Sighing, Atticus stepped into the bathroom, hoping the warm water would wash away the stress of the day.


End file.
